


Love and Laundry

by fiftyshadesofsebby, LilyInTheSnow



Series: Laundry Day [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Death in Childbirth, Laundry, M/M, Mutual Pining, it's a vague, not in explicit detail, they don't pine much after the first chapter, very brief mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-03-30 08:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 68,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3930520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiftyshadesofsebby/pseuds/fiftyshadesofsebby, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyInTheSnow/pseuds/LilyInTheSnow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve goes to the same laundromat every week. Bucky does too. They're both pining and too <strike>stupid</strike> shy to talk to each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was only gonna be a short one-shot and has turned into a tiny monster that may balloon into a giant monster, but ugh. I'm not ready for a long multi-chapter yet. I'm still recovering from the last one. Some of this is sorta like snippets, but I'm trying something new and fiftyshadesofsebby is my co-pilot.

Steve smiled as he picked up the pink footed pajamas from the pile of clothes he’d just gotten out of the dryer and put in the rolling laundry basket. His baby girl was growing like a weed, but even at barely three years old was only in twelve months clothes. Poor thing was built just like him. The only thing she seemed to get from her Ma was her scarlet hair, grey-green eyes, straight little nose and delicate hands. Well, Natasha was short too. Had been short. His smile fell at the thought.

He and Natasha hadn’t been together long. Weren’t even together when Angel had been born. Hell, he couldn’t call any of their relationship actually being together. They’d been best friends for years, since their early childhood, and due to her asshole boyfriend breaking her heart when they were twenty-two, wound up getting drunk and sleeping together. It had been the first and only time Steve had slept with a woman.

Natasha had joked that he had finally lost his virginity even though he’d been with his former boyfriend for two years before they had split around the same time as Natasha and her ex. He guessed it had been true in a way. Natasha had been a lot of firsts for him. His first real friend, the first person to not look down on him because of his dainty stature, she’d quickly learned that he was anything but dainty and was scrappy as fuck, but at 5’4” and ninety-five pounds soaking wet he’d had to be. She had been the first person to listen to him gush over a boy he had a crush on, the first person aside from his mother to let him cry on their shoulder after his heart was broken. The first person to tell him that he was going to be a father and the first person he saw after waking up from having a bad asthma attack and then fainting in shock.

He smiled fondly remembering the deadly glare and the hard pinch to his bicep she’d given him once she was certain he was going to live. He could still feel that pinch sometimes when he looked at their daughter. When she pouted or glared at him with her mother’s eyes. The eyes he almost couldn’t bear to have look at him that way because they reminded him so much of the best friend and mother they had lost.

Natasha’s pregnancy had been perfectly normal with no complications to speak of and even her morning sickness hadn’t been difficult. Everything had been fine until eight months in when she’d started spotting. Steve had been called to the hospital from his job at the grocers and found out that his best friend had started hemorrhaging. Two hours after running into the hospital he had lost his best friend and gained a daughter. He’d been slightly lost ever since. Would have been completely lost if not for his mother.

Steve shook his head and started hurriedly folding the rest of their clothes, hoping to get back to his ma’s house before Angel started missing him. He could have done their laundry at his mother’s but if he did she would try to take over and he wanted to do it himself. His ma always volunteered to babysit while he did laundry and he was grateful for it. It gave him time to think and a little bit of time to himself without his baby girl attached to his hip. It had taken him two years to get to the point where he didn’t feel guilty for leaving his daughter to go to work or do the laundry.

It also gave him time to watch the gorgeous brunette that did his laundry the same time every week. The guy, who Steve had dubbed Hot Messy Bun Guy because he had no clue what his name was and had never spoken to him, even though his mother had begged him to for the past year because if she heard Hot Messy Bun Guy one more time she was going to strangle him, made Steve want to both climb him like a tree and disappear through the floor at the same time.

His blue-grey eyes were almost the color of a shallow glacier and his hair was always up in a messy bun, wisps of it falling loose and curling along his cheekbones and jaw, sometimes getting stuck in the corner of his mouth. God that mouth. Steve wanted to kiss and nibble and suck on that bottom lip. Wanted to kiss the cleft on his chin and then across his jaw and work his way down leaving a trail of light bruises.

The day the brunette had whipped is shirt off and thrown it in the washer with the rest of clothes Steve had nearly moaned out loud. The guy was ripped and naturally light tan. Steve had wanted to drag his tongue over every inch of every muscle of his chest and stomach. Hell, he still did.

***

Bucky smiled to himself watching the absolutely adorable blonde folding his laundry. Dude was cute as hell and when he blushed Bucky wanted to know how far down that blush went. Bucky had seen the guy every week for the past year, always doing his laundry at the same time he did. The cute blonde always left right before Bucky, rushing off to who Bucky figured was his daughter by the amount of frilly pink baby clothes. It kinda put a damper on things. Not the guy having a kid, Bucky secretly adored babies, but the fact that there might also be another parent involved. Bucky was pretty sure the tiny guy was gay. Everything about him just screamed that he was a twink and since Bucky had no clue what his name was and hadn’t talked to him before because he was too shy to do it had dubbed him the Hot Nerdy Twink at the laundromat to anyone that he could talk to about him. Mostly to Sam and Clint even though they threatened to strangle him if they heard about Hot Nerdy Twink one more time.

He was so tiny, barely scraping 5’4” if he was lucky and probably only weighed about 90 pounds. 95 if he was lucky. When the wind was blowing outside Bucky was afraid he’d blow away and wondered if he had rocks in his pockets to keep him from flying down the sidewalk. His blonde hair was always messy as if he ran his hands through it constantly. His nerdy glasses were nearly the end of Bucky, the heavy black frames over those gorgeous blue eyes and obscenely long eyelashes had made Bucky extremely aware that he had a thing for small nerdy guys. Hot Nerdy Twink had a jaw that looked like it could cut glass and Bucky wanted to nibble it. Wanted to kiss his perfect lips and then work his way down to find out just how far that blush went.

Hell the only reason Bucky used the laundromat in the first place was because he’d happened to glance through the window and saw the adorkable guy folding his laundry. So he had taken a chance and gone the next week about the same time and saw him there again. After that Bucky had been pointlessly doing his laundry there instead of using the washer and dryer he had at home. It was worth it though to be able to see Hot Nerdy Twink every week. Sometimes the blonde would read a book until his clothes finished washing and drying, other days he would be sketching, but he was there the same time week after week.

Bucky frowned at that thought. It seemed super creepy now that he’d really thought about it. He was pretty much stalking the guy and pining after him and didn’t even know his name or anything about him. Just that he’d been half in love with him the minute he saw him and he obviously had a kid.

Bucky sighed realizing he’d been staring at the blonde instead of folding his laundry then noticed that the gorgeous guy who was always at the table across from him had been staring at an adorable pink and white dotted Mini Mouse dress for the past several minutes. Bucky licked his lips then spoke to the guy for the first time since he’d seen him. He only meant to finally say hi instead of giving a polite nod that he usually did, but what came out had the adorkable dude jerking his head up and blushing.

“Do you plan on ever folding that dress?”

“Huh?” Steve blinked over the top of his glasses to see the hot messy bun guy smiling at him and blushed crimson when he realized he’d just been standing there staring at Angel’s pink and white polka dot Mini Mouse dress he held in his hands for the last few minutes. “Oh. Uh . . . yeah. Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. You just . . . looked a bit lost.” The guy smiled again then went back to folding his own laundry, the metal of his prosthetic arm glinting in the harsh fluorescent lights. He seemed perfectly comfortable with the arm and Steve thought it was beautiful and wanted to draw it. The arm had to be from Stark who made state of the art prosthetics for people in the military that had lost limbs and had a charity for people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford a prosthetic on their own.

“I’ve been lost for three years.” Steve murmured as he folded a pair of jeans, the last of his laundry.

“How so?”

“My daughter. There’s so much pink. And ruffles and lace and ribbons and bows.” Steve smiled softly when Hot Messy Bun Guy laughed.

“She’s three?”

“Yeah.”

“She’s tiny.” Bucky motioned to the pink cardigan that Hot Nerdy Twink was folding.

“She’s built just like me. Her Ma was short too, so Angel really had no chance of being tall. Angel’s just like me.”

“I’m sure she’s adorable then.” Adorkable dude blushed even more than he had before and Bucky scratched at the back of his neck when he realized what he’d said. “I mean . . . um . . . ‘cause she’s so tiny. Not ‘cause you’re adorable. I mean . . . you are adorable. I think you’re so fucking cute but uh . . . what?”

“Thanks. I think.” Steve could feel the blood rushing to his face and looked down at the mostly folded pile of clothes.

“No, you totally are adorable and um, take it as a compliment if you’re straight? Or me awkwardly flirting if you’re not?” God why couldn’t the floor swallow him right now? He hadn’t even meant to say any of that at all, just that he was sure the toddler was cute, but oh hell.

“Oh! Um . . . okay.” Steve smiled nervously and Bucky went back to folding his clothes and berating himself for being such a dumbass. “I gotta go.” Steve grabbed his laundry basket and tried not to look like he was running away as he practically powerwalked to the door.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

“No, it’s okay. My Ma’s watching Angel, I need to go pick her up.” Steve threw it over his shoulder as he walked then ran into the door making him feel like even more of a loser than he usually did. He opened the door, balancing the basket painfully on his boney hip, then sighed and turned back to the pouting brunette. God he wanted to nip that bottom lip so bad. “My name’s Steve. I mean, you should at least know it if you’re going to be awkwardly flirting.” Hot Messy Bun Guy lifted his head with a smile that made Steve’s knees weak.

“I’m Bucky.”

“Bucky.” The brunette nodded and Steve decided to give in and let the guy off the hook about the ‘adorable’ comments he’d made. “I like it. I’m not by the way.”

“Not what?”

“Straight.”

Bucky’s smile lit up the room and Steve blushed again then hurried out of the laundromat.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have inadvertently lied about the snippets thing. And the not pining much after the first chapter thing. They'll get over it though.

Bucky ginned as he walked into his house carrying his overflowing laundry basket with him. He sat it next to the door and kicked off his shoes then walked into the living room and fell onto the couch. He finally had a name. He’d probably still refer to Steve as the hot nerdy twink from the laundromat in his head for a little bit because that’s what he’d been calling him for damn near a year, but it was nice to finally have a name to go with the gorgeous face. Steve.

Bucky sighed and pulled his cell from his pocket and sent Sam and Clint a text.

_B: I talked to him. :)_

He didn’t need to elaborate and it took less than a minute to get replies from the both of them.

_Sam: It’s about damn time._

_Clint: Fucking finally!_

Bucky laughed and sent another text.

_B: His name’s Steve._

_Sam: That all you found out?_

_Clint: Did you ask him out yet? ‘Cause speaking for the both of us, Sam and I are tired as shit of you pining for this dude._

_B: I found out that he’s not straight. And no, I didn’t ask him out._

Sam and Clint both replied with the same three letter text.

_Ugh_

Bucky laughed again then tossed his cell beside him on the couch. So what if he hadn’t asked him out? What if Steve didn’t want to date anyone? What if he wasn’t ready? What if he didn’t want to date for fear of bringing someone around his daughter? Besides, it had taken them a year to finally speak to each other, and yeah, he didn’t want to take a year before asking Steve out on a date, but he didn’t want to rush into it either. Maybe he’d ask him next week. But he might not even say yes. So maybe not next week then.

It was less than thirty minutes later that both Sam and Clint let themselves into his house. Clint immediately tripped over the laundry basket and Sam just barely rescued the thirty pack of beer their uncoordinated friend had been carrying. Bucky laughed watching from his couch when Clint grumbled under his breath as he stood and began to shove the clothes back in the basket. He stopped halfway through and shook his head.

“This is your fault. I’m not picking the rest of it up.” Bucky rolled his eyes and Clint pouted when Sam shoved the beer back into his arms then picked up the rest of Bucky’s clothes.

“We brought movies.”

“Which ones?”

“The Princess Bride and Robin Hood: Men in Tights.” Sam grinned and Clint rolled his eyes while Bucky grinned.

“Really?” Sam knew that The Princess Bride was secretly one of Bucky’s favorite movies.

“Clint brought Men in Tights, didn’t he?” Bucky knew that Clint had a not so secret love for archery and even though he was a jewelry designer by day, Bucky was pretty sure that Clint ran around dressed as Robin Hood in the middle of the night with a bow and arrows.

“Yep.”

“Stop knocking my movie.” Clint flopped down next to him on the couch while Sam walked to the entertainment center and set up The Princess Bride. “We can watch something else if you want,” Clint pouted and Bucky shook his head. “Or maybe we’ll listen to you pine over Steve some more.”

“You guys don’t understand how adorable he is okay?”

Sam and Clint both rolled their eyes. “Maybe if you’d take a picture of him so we could see him we’d know.” Sam gave Bucky a pointed look as he said it and Bucky shook his head.

“I’m not going to take a picture of him when he’s not paying attention or without his permission. That’s creepy.”

Clint rolled his eyes again and passed his two best friends a beer. “So says the guy who blows money every week going to the laundromat to do his laundry so he can see a cute guy when he’s got a perfectly useable washer and dryer at home.”

Bucky frowned when he cracked open his beer. Maybe Clint had a point, but still so far as Bucky knew Steve had stared at him just as much as he had stared at Steve. Had pined after him just as much. Or maybe that was wishful thinking. He sighed heavily then took a drink of his beer. Probably it was wishful thinking.

***

Steve walked into his mother’s house and smiled softly when he heard her and Angel giggling in the kitchen. He walked in and saw them at the counter, Angel standing on a kitchen chair and his Ma standing next to her, both of them with flour and cookie dough up to their elbows and wearing matching pink floral aprons.

“What are you girls doing?”

Angel squealed turning toward him with her mother’s smile and held her arms up as she jumped up and down on her chair. “Daddy!” He rushed to her before she fell off of the chair and picked her up; laughing when she put her cookie dough covered hands on his face and gave him a kiss.

“Did you miss me?”

“Uh huh. Me and Gwamma made cookies!”

“I see that. Are they good?”

“Yep.” Angel giggled then shoved the dough covered fingers of one hand in his mouth and he laughed then pulled his lips over his teeth and growled playfully as he nibbled her fingers.

“They are good. Are you all finished?”

“Yep.”

“Why don’t you and Grandma go wash up and I’ll clean up your mess.”

“Okay.” Angel squirmed in his arms until he put her feet on the floor and she giggled as she ran out of the room yelling for her grandmother to follow after her.

“Have fun doing your laundry?”

“Yes.” Steve smiled with a light blush and his mother laughed. She knew about his pining over Hot Messy Bun Guy with the gorgeous smile and was tired of hearing about him and dealing with Steve being too shy to talk to him.

“Did you talk to him?”

“Yes.”

“Finally! When are you going out with him? I’ll need to know so I can trade shifts with someone so I can watch Angel.”

“Ma! We’re not . . . he didn’t . . . we just . . . we didn’t talk long or about anything other than Angel. He did say he thought I was adorable though.” Steve shrugged at that then brushed past his mother to clean the counter.

“Steven. I just . . . I wish you would date someone. Just because you’ve got Angel doesn’t mean you need to focus solely on her. ”

“I know, but how many people are going to want to date a twenty-five year old with a three year old daughter? And how could I let someone else into my life? Into Angel’s life? What if she got attached and then things didn’t work out? I couldn’t bear it.”

“What if things did work out?” With that his mother walked out of the kitchen leaving him to his thoughts.

He couldn’t even begin to picture what it would be like to be in a relationship again. It was hard enough when it was just him. But with Angel? He couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to date someone when he had a child at home that would eventually meet his boyfriend if he felt comfortable enough with them. If things worked out between them.

No matter how hot he thought Bucky was if they ever did start dating, which Steve highly doubted, then Bucky would have to understand that Angel would always come first. Anyone would have to understand that. He hoped Bucky might. He seemed like he liked kids, but in all honesty Steve knew jack shit about him. For all Steve knew Bucky might be a crazy stalker or a psycho ax murderer. He’d be a cute one, but still.

Probably he was worrying over nothing and Bucky had just been flirting to flirt. If Angel wasn’t involved Bucky’s smirk alone would have made Steve climb him like a tree and never climb back down. Steve shook his head and turned on the faucet to fill the sink with water so he could wash the bowls, spoons, and measuring cups his mother and daughter had used while making their cookies. He’d wash the cookie sheets after the cookies came out of the oven.

He heard WordGirl start in the living room and sighed. He knew his mother was fixing to come in and start badgering him over whether or not he was going to ask Bucky out. Seconds later she walked into the kitchen and stood beside him, rinsing the dishes and putting them on the drying rack.

“Are you going to ask him out?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“He probably won’t want to go out with me. He’s so far out of my league he might as well be from an entirely different galaxy.”

“Did you at least find out his name?”

“Bucky.”

“Bucky?” Steve’s mother raised an eyebrow and he rolled his eyes.

“I like it. It fits him.”

“Find out anything else?”

“He’s not straight. Or at least I think he’s not. He sorta flirted.” Bucky was flirting right? Steve wasn’t making that up out of desperation was he?

“Honey.”

“I know, Ma. Okay? I’ll do something about it when I’m ready.”

“It’s been a year that you’ve been pining over this boy. Ask him out already. Besides he might be a total asshole and then you’ll have gotten him out of your system and can start doing your laundry here.”

“He’s not the reason I don’t do my laundry here, Mother.”

Sarah rolled her eyes at her son. “No. He’s just the reason you stayed at that laundromat instead of using the cheaper one.”

“It nearby and you’re making me sound like a creepy stalker.”

“Sweetheart, you’ve got more than a few half-finished sketches of him. If that doesn’t make you a creepy stalker I don’t know what does.” The tone of her voice was grave and Steve stared at her slack jawed then threw the sponge into the dishwater, making it splash soap suds all over the counter, when his mother started laughing. “Oh, Steve, you’re so easy.”

“Ma! That’s . . . you can’t . . . ugh.” Steve threw his hands up and walked out of the kitchen to go watch WordGirl with his daughter and leave his mother to finish cleaning the cookie mess out of retribution for her teasing. Angel smiled up at him when he sat next to her on the couch then pulled her onto his lap. “Your Grandma’s crazy.”

Angel’s smile turned to that all knowing look she’d inherited from her mother. “Yep. Gwamma's cookies?”

“She does make good cookies. I guess we’ll keep her.”

Angel nodded with a giggle and they looked to the TV in time to see Captain Huggy Face and WordGirl get buried under a mountain of steaks by The Butcher.

That night Steve had a nightmare where he was WordGirl and Angel was Captain Huggy Face and they were being buried under a mountain of partially finished sketches of Bucky by his mother who was dressed as The Butcher, but instead of her bandolier being filled with sausages it was filled with charcoal and pencils. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to watch WordGirl with Angel again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We honestly didn't think that this would get as many views, kudos, etc. as it has so far. Thank you so much! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a bit longer for this chapter. We were having issues. This one's a little bit longer than the previous ones to make up for it. It was going to be even longer, but we decided to split it into two chapters. I think we got most of the errors out. If you see any let us know and we'll fix them.
> 
> fiftyshades

The next week at the laundromat Steve was curled up in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, balancing his sketchbook on his knees. He was drawing yet another picture of Bucky; he was determined to actually finish it this time and it would be the last one damn it! Especially since he was still paranoid after his mother’s creepy stalker comment. He’s been worrying about it for days. Would Bucky think he was a stalker if he saw the sketches? Probably and Steve was thankful that Bucky never would. Where the hell was Bucky anyway? He was usually here by now.

The blonde sighed and penciled in the line of Bucky’s jaw. If it wouldn’t have messed up his laundry he’d have brought his charcoals. Maybe that was why he hadn’t ever actually managed to finish a picture of Bucky. He’d look gorgeous in charcoal. He’d probably look gorgeous with Steve’s charcoal smudged handprints all over his body too.

The door opened and Steve hurriedly flipped to a mostly-finished sketch of Angel when he glanced up to see Bucky walking in, lugging an overfull laundry basket with him. If Steve didn’t know any better, and really he didn’t, he’d have thought that Bucky had dressed up today. He was wearing a blue-grey short sleeved button down that almost perfectly matched his eyes and a pair of black skinny jeans that Steve was pretty sure was illegal. No one should look like that in jeans. Every curve and bulge Bucky had was on display in those jeans and if he saw Steve gaping he ignored it in favor of grinning with a small nod.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” Steve gave him a shy smile then went back to his sketchbook.

“I almost expected you not to show up this week.”

“Embarrassment doesn’t negate laundry.” Steve looked up to see Bucky shoving all of his clothes in one of the industrial sized washing machines and smiled. “That’s why all of your white shirts are dingy.”

“Huh?” Bucky glanced up as he shoved the last pair of jeans in.

“Throwing all of your clothes in together like that. That’s why your white shirts are dingy. Whites should always be washed on their own.” Bucky shrugged as he started the washer then went to sit by Steve instead of across the room from him like he usually did. Steve waited for Bucky to tease him for noticing how he did his laundry.

“You draw,” Bucky asked even though he’d seen Steve with a sketchpad balanced on his knees more often than not.

“Yeah.”

“Any good?”

“I guess so.” Steve shrugged, trying not to look at the brunette.

“Can I ask you something?”

“You just did.”

“Smartass. Seriously though.”

“Yeah. Go ahead.”

“Why haven’t you ever said anything to me? We’ve both been doing our laundry here week after week for like the past year and you’ve never said a word to me until last week.” Bucky looked like he really wanted to know and Steve sighed heavily and tried not to look back to his sketchbook as he spoke.

“I don’t . . . I’m shy? I guess. Didn’t see why someone that looks like you would want anything to do with someone like me.”

“You’re fucking with me right,” Bucky asked looking and sounding shocked as hell. Steve was fucking gorgeous and so sweet he blushed when spoken to. Why wouldn’t Bucky want anything to do with him? Steve frowned when Bucky didn’t say anything else then spoke again.

“Well, why didn’t you say anything to me?” Steve was practically pouting and Bucky grinned.

“Didn’t see why someone that looks like you would want anything to do with someone that looks like me.” Steve glared at him for a moment then looked back to his sketchpad. “Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?”

“I think I liked the awkward flirting better,” Steve muttered as he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come on so strong, I just . . . you’re really cute and you make me nervous. That’s why I haven’t said anything the past year.”

“I make you nervous?” Why the hell had he made Bucky nervous? Bucky should’ve had people falling all over him.

“Yeah. You’ve got this whole self-possessed thing going on, but you blush a lot too and it’s adorable. You’re tiny but I bet you’re scrappy as fuck. I mean I bet you’ve gotten into a lot of fights.”

“I did in school. Get into fights I mean.  Natasha and I both did.”

“Who’s Natasha?”

“Angel’s mother.”

“She still around?”

Steve shook his head and his half smile fell. “No, she . . . she died giving birth to Angel.”

“Oh, God. I’m so sorry, Steve. Shit. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have . . . I’ll go.”

“No,” Steve reached out and grabbed Bucky’s hand, not realizing it was his metal one until Bucky jumped then looked down at him. “Sorry.” Steve let go of his hand then let his head fall back against the window behind him. “It’s okay, Bucky. Natasha was my best friend and we’d both gone through bad breakups. We got drunk and then eight months later we had Angel.”

“Wow. I’m sorry, Stevie.” Bucky reached over and squeezed his arm then let go when Steve glanced down at his hand. The metal of his prosthetic was daunting to some people, a lot of people really, but Steve didn’t look wary of it. He looked like he was itching to run his fingers over it, study it, and probably draw it. Bucky smiled for a second wondering if Steve would ever ask to draw him. If he did Bucky was pretty sure he’d have to snark something at him along the lines of being one of his French girls. He’d seen Titanic too many times. Sue him.

“It’s okay, Buck.”

Bucky smiled softly, “You don’t have to be all sketchy about my arm, you know. I’m just not used to people touching it. Most everyone kind of shies away from it.”

“I like it. I mean, it’s you. What’s not to like?” Steve blushed immediately upon realizing what he’d said and Bucky laughed.

“Now who’s flirting awkwardly?”

“Shut up, jerk.”

“Punk.”

Steve smiled and slid a finger over one of the metal plates of Bucky’s arm. “How did you lose it? I mean if it’s okay to ask.”

“It’s fine.” Bucky shrugged then leaned back. “I kind of got blown up and fell off of a cliff.”

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry.”

“It’s no big deal. I mean it was at first, therapy and physical therapy was a bitch and it took a while to get used to and then Stark heard about my story somehow and hooked me up through his charity. It was rough, I’m not gonna downplay it a whole lot, but it’s better now. I actually think this arm’s gonna last longer than I will.”

Bucky would never forget the months of fear and pain he’d gone through, but he wouldn’t let it control him. He’d done that already. For months he only lay in bed or on his couch, ignoring the doctors, physical therapists, therapists, and his friends and family. Only when he’d been contacted by Pepper Potts, Tony Stark’s . . . well, everything, did he start taking his recovery seriously.

It had been three years since his ‘accident’ as people liked to call it; he just called it getting blown the fuck up, and a little over two years since the surgery that had changed his life. He still had appointments with Stark every couple months to check for bugs or mechanical issues and probably would for the rest of his life, the same with this therapist if he wanted to be honest, but he wouldn’t change any of it. Not for anything because everything that had happened in his life had led him to this. Had led him to a laundromat and Steve who might never be his significant other, but maybe a friend and that would be fine. Of course he was hoping for more than friends, but one step at a time.

“That’s amazing Bucky. That you’ve survived and . . . you seem to be thriving. Kind of depressing when you think about your arm lasting longer than you will, but still amazing.”

Bucky laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.” He looked away from Steve to the wall of dryers and instinctively knew that the one with the swirling pink mass was Steve’s. No one else that had laundry going had that much pink. “You ever think of branching out to lilac or lavender or maybe sea foam?”

“Huh?” Steve looked up, following Bucky’s gaze, and laughed. “I tried. Angel said that purple clashed with her hair and that sea foam and mint makes her look grey. I don’t know where she got that, I mean she’s three, but she didn’t like it. Her Ma didn’t like those colors either now that I think about it.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah. Maybe it’s inherited?”

Bucky grinned. “Maybe.”

***

They talked and flirted while waiting for their laundry to get done and they both wondered why the hell they had waited so long to talk to one another. Aside from being scared shitless that the other wouldn’t like them.

Steve found out that Bucky was twenty-six and had been in the Army when he’d been hurt and lost his arm. He’d been a sergeant at the time of the accident and now worked at the VA with a guy named Sam Wilson that Steve vaguely remembered from High School. He’d been nice, at least he hadn’t beaten Steve up, but they had never been friends. Natasha had been his only friend.

Bucky found out that Steve had worked at the same grocers since he was fifteen until he’d gone to college, but had dropped out after Angel was born because he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible to make up for her having only one parent and he wouldn’t have been able to do that if he’d kept going. He’d gone back to work at the grocers after dropping out of college and took art classes a couple times a week and that was good enough for him for now. Bucky liked the idea that Steve wanted to be around his daughter so much.

When Steve was finished folding his laundry he gathered up his forgotten sketchbook and gave Bucky a short wave goodbye.

“See you next week.”

“Yeah. See ya.” Steve smiled at the brunette then grabbed his laundry basket and started for the door.

Bucky got a text and pulled out his phone to see that it was from Sam.

_Ask him, stupid!_

Bucky looked up and saw Sam standing at the window. He gave Bucky a thumbs up and a quick grin then ran off before Steve noticed him. It wouldn’t hurt anything to ask him right? The worst thing that could happen would be that Steve would say no. And then things would be awkward and Bucky would have to actually start using the washer and dryer he’d owned for a year and a half and rarely ever used. But then maybe Steve would say yes and he and Bucky could do their laundry together every week on purpose. Well, you never got anywhere if you didn’t take chances right?

“Hey, Steve?”

“Yeah?” Steve turned back toward Bucky with a gentle smile.

“What would you say if I um . . . were to ask you out on a date?” Bucky looked scared shitless, the same way Steve felt, and a small mischievous part of Steve wanted to make him sweat, if for no other reason than Bucky making him blush every chance he got.

“First I would say that no matter what, Angel will always come first.”

“I kinda figured that already and totally respect that. What’s second?”

Steve grinned and sat the basket down then grabbed his pencil and sketchbook and scribbled his number on the paper.  “You know that diner around the corner?”

“The one that has the best pie and coffee on the planet?”

“Yeah. Take me there.”

Bucky grinned excitedly and Steve smiled back unable to help himself. “When?”

“When’s your next day off?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow then. Is seven okay? I can’t stay out late.”

“Seven’s fine.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” Steve smiled as he tore the page with his hastily scribbled number on it out of the sketchpad and sat in on the chair next to the door then picked up his laundry and opened the door. “That’s got my cell number on it. Call me later.”

“Sure.”

Not ten minutes after Steve walked out of the laundromat he got a call from a number he didn’t recognize and knew it was Bucky.

***

As soon as Steve walked out of the Laundromat and headed down the sidewalk Sam ran into the building and fell into one of the hard plastic chairs next to Bucky.

“Dude, it’s about time. What’d he say? Did he say yes? I assume he said yes. You’re grinning like an idiot and not a sobbing mess on the floor. ”

“Shut up, Sam.”

“Where are you going to take him?”

“The diner around the corner. Why are you even here?”

“I had to watch you make a fool of yourself with your boy. I took pictures for Clint.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Why don’t you two just get married already and leave me alone?”

“Because Clint’s not ready yet. We’re going to exchange promise rings though.” Bucky gave Sam an exasperated look causing him to laugh. “Dude, come on. Clint’s so not my type. I mean, he’s loud and obnoxious and he’s always got dog hair all over.”

“You like dogs.”

“Yeah, but Clint’s also got the wrong equipment.” Bucky laughed at that while Sam grinned. “Though, if I did swing that way too, I’d probably go for Clint. He’s not bad looking.”

“I’ll be sure to give him your ringing endorsement.”

Sam snorted then slapped Bucky on the shoulder. “I gotta get back to work. I took my lunch late that way I could come make sure you asked your boy out.”

“Yeah. I’ll see you later, Sam.”

“Yep.” Sam stood and walked to the door, looking down at the piece of sketch paper on the chair. He picked it up and folded it into an airplane then threw it to Bucky. “Call him before you chicken out.”

“I already did the hard part.” Bucky shrugged picking up the paper airplane and when he looked up Sam was already gone. He stared down at the number Steve had scribbled on the paper and bit his bottom lip. What if Steve had given him a fake number? What if he had no intention of going out with him at all? _Suck it up, Barnes!_ He could hear his tiny shoulder versions of Clint and Sam yelling at him and sighed as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

 Only one way to find out.

***

When Steve got to his mother’s house he found Angel lying on the couch, wrapped up in blankets like a tiny burrito and fighting not to giggle as she pretended to be asleep. He grinned then walked to the couch stretching his arms and faking a yawn.

“Oh, man. This sofa looks so comfortable.” Angel giggled again. “And there’s a comfy looking pillow.” More quiet giggles. Steve lay down on the couch and rested his head lightly on his daughter, snuggling close. “So comfy!” She started wiggling and he gently poked her belly. “My pillow’s moving. Hey, Ma? What kind of pillow is this? It’s kinda lumpy and it’s all wiggly.” He tickled Angel as his mother walked into the room.

“It’s new. Just got it today. I didn’t know it wiggled.”

“No, it does. Look.” Steve tickled Angel again until she squirmed loose from her blankets.

“Daddy, it’s me!”

“Who’s me?”

“Angel. Silly.”

He mock gasped and lifted her into his arms as he sat up. “I knew there was something weird about that pillow.” She giggled again then kissed his cheek and laid her head on his shoulder with a quiet yawn. “Did someone skip their nap today?”

“Um . . . No?” She lifted her head to give him a sheepish grin and he smiled then kissed her cheek.

“Uh huh. Sleepy girl.”

“Sing me.”

“Okay, baby.” Steve reached over and grabbed her blanket then covered her with it as he leaned back against the cushions. “What song?”

“Bitty spider.” She yawned again, resting her head on his shoulder as he started to sing.

As soon as he was sure she was asleep he laid her back on the sofa and moved one of the throw pillows up against her where she wouldn’t roll off and get hurt then looked over to see his mother watching them with tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, honey.”

“Ma.”

“I’m fine, Steven. Did you have fun doing your laundry?”

Steve laughed quietly then nodded. “Yeah. Can you babysit for a couple hours tomorrow evening?”

“He asked you out?”

“Yeah. We’re just gonna go to that diner around the corner from the laundromat.”

“What time?”

“He’s going to pick me up at seven. I should be back by nine at the latest.”

“Stay out as long as you want.”

“I’m not going to dump Angel on you while I’m out with Bucky.”

“Steven, it’s been four years since you’ve had a date much less a boyfriend and I seriously doubt you’ve even had sex since then either.”

“Mother!” His voice was little more than a harsh whisper in an effort to keep from waking his daughter from her nap.

“Stay out as long as you want. You’ve been dancing around him for a year as it is.”

“I can’t believe you just told me to go have sex with a guy I barely know.”

“Sex is healthy as long as you’re careful about it.”

“Ma, please. Stop. Just stop.” He barely resisted the urge to cover both of his ears and start singing when she only grinned and kept talking.

“I’m serious Steve. You’ve been so uptight lately. Go get laid.”

“Enough, please! Please for the love of God, stop.” His mother laughed, almost giggling which was absurd because she was too old to be giggling, and he groaned. “Please stop.”

“All right, all right. I’m just saying you need to take a load off. Or you know, blow one.”

“Christ, Ma!”

Sarah only laughed at the horrified expression on her son’s face then walked into the kitchen to start on dinner. One way or another she’d get Steve to stop being such a prude about some things. She still didn’t know how he was a prude about some things and not about others. She certainly never had been. Neither had Natasha and she had Steve had spent every waking minute together that they could. Of course half of Steve’s issues with it all was that it was his mother talking to him like that, but if she couldn’t and didn’t who would?

At least Steve had stopped screwing around and was finally going on a date with the boy he’d been lusting over for the past year. It was about damned time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is a lot longer than the other three. Like, it is more than half as long as the previous three all together. We wanted it to be shorter, but it didn't cooperate and then we couldn't split it into two chapters 'cause that woulda drawn it out so . . . anyways, enjoy this longer than usual chapter and we hope it's good because we're feeling kinda iffy on it. *sigh*
> 
> Oh! And this was finished at near five in the morning and it's been read over a couple times, but we got shit for sleep so if there's any errors and such let us know and we'll fix 'em.

Steve growled as he fiddled with his hearing aid. He didn’t use the thing often but some days, like today, his hearing fizzled out in one ear and he had to use it. And of course, because he had a date with the most gorgeous guy on the planet, the damned hearing aid decided not to work. He’d replaced the battery just to be on the safe side and the damned thing still wasn’t working. He growled again then shoved the tiny thing in the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out his old one. It was big and annoying and there was no way that Bucky wouldn’t notice it. Steve’s hair was cut too short on the sides to hide it. Steve thought about not using it, but decided it would be awkward if he only heard half of what Bucky said. He put it in his ear and turned it on, wincing at the loud squeal as he adjusted it, then sighed. Of course this one would work.

He grimaced at himself in the mirror over the nightstand then fussed with his hair again. He’d run out of gel and his bangs flopped annoyingly over one eye no matter how he tried to comb them. He finger-combed them back again only to roll his eyes in irritation when the lock of hair slid back over his eye. He slid his glasses on then walked out of his bedroom to see how his mother and Angel were doing.

Angel didn’t know about his date; he’d only told her he was going out for a couple hours and her grandma was coming over to watch her while he was gone. Angel hadn’t been too concerned but had demanded he bring her back a piece of cherry pie from the diner when she’d found out where he was going. She had actually wanted apple because she’d never had apple pie before, but was allergic to cinnamon so she would have to make due with cherry. It was her favorite besides banana cream anyway.

His mother was currently spinning in a circle with Angel hanging from her arms and Steve raised a brow then gasped when Angel let go of his mother and landed in a heap on the couch. “Angelina!” His mother and daughter jumped guiltily at his half-assed stern look.

“Oops.”

“Yeah, oops. Angel, you know better than that.”

“But me and Gwamma already done it,” she held up six tiny fingers and he sighed. “this many times.”

“Well, no more. You’ll get hurt.”

“Steven, I know how to take care of her.”

“Ma, I know. I’m sorry. I’m just . . . I’m stressing.”

“Everything’s going to be fine.” Steve nodded with a slight frown and she sighed looking him over when he fussed with his shirt. “You look fine.”

“Do I?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure?”

“Steven, you look fine!”

“Okay. Okay.” He sighed running a hand through his hair and blew out a heavy breath. God he hoped he looked fine.

***

“Bucky, you look fine.”

“Sam, I look like a walking disaster.”

“You look fine.” The slightly mushed sounding words came from Clint who claimed to have lost both of his hearing aids and was sat facing Bucky and Sam so he could lip read. Bucky knew better. Clint hated the things and did without them when he wasn’t working.

“I look like shit. I’m going to go change again.”

Sam and Clint shared an annoyed look as Bucky ran toward his bedroom. He had changed clothes three times and was dangerously close to running late. He needed to leave in fifteen minutes if he wanted to get to his boy’s place on time.

_Should we help?_ Sam signed it and Clint shook his head.

_We’ll only get in the way._

Sam nodded with a heavy sigh. Bucky was nervous as hell and Sam and Clint both understood why, but their irritating friend was going to psych himself out of the date if he didn’t stop being so particular about his clothes. He saw Steve every week at the laundromat and was always dressed in a pair of ratty jeans and an old t-shirt and apparently Steve still thought he was hot. So why would he care what Bucky was wearing?

Sam and Clint both rolled their eyes when Bucky walked back into the living room wearing the first outfit he’d put on when he had started getting ready for his date.

“Seriously?” Clint groaned then stood up and kicked Bucky’s ankle.

“Bucky, you’re fine. You look fine. You need to go or you’re going to be late.” Sam grinned at his said it but he knew Bucky didn’t believe him.

The brunette sighed and looked in the mirror one last time. He’d left his hair down and was wondering if he had enough time to put it back up in the bun he usually kept it in. He started to fuss with the uncooperative waves and sighed when they slid back into his eyes. His long bangs moved when he blinked, getting hit by his eyelashes, and he tucked them back behind his ears as best as he could then wrinkled his nose and fixed them back. His hair like that made his ears stick out.

Bucky gasped when his arm was grasped and he was spun around. Clint was standing in front of him and shoved something in his hand. Bucky looked down at the foil packets and shook his head.

“Really?”

“You never know. Now go!”

“I look like shit.”

“You’re fine,” Sam said with a groan. “He’ll love it no matter what. He’s seen you on laundry day.” Bucky half-laughed at that then let Clint and Sam drag him out of his apartment.

***

Steve, you’re wearing a hole in the floor, honey.”

The blonde was pacing his living room nervously and his mother and daughter were watching him and giggling. “Hush.”

“Why’s daddy running circles?”

“Daddy is having dinner with a friend and he’s nervous.”

“Oh.” Sarah reached for the remote for the tv and clicked over to the DVR where Steve had recorded a couple episodes of some of the PBS kid shows. The only ones that he liked Angel to watch. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood started and Steve frowned. Angel loved it and he did have to admit it was cute, but Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood would always hold a special place in his heart. Angel was jumping up and down with her eyes glued to the tv and Sarah stood and grabbed Steve on his way by when he started pacing again.

“You’ll be fine, Steven.”

“I know. I know it’s just . . .” He trailed off, combing a hand through his already tousled hair. “I haven’t . . . I’m scared shitless.”

“You’ll be all right. It’s just dinner.” She gave him a gentle hug and kiss on the cheek then pulled back to smooth out his hair knowing that it was useless because he’d be combing his hands through it again as soon as she finished. She kissed his cheek again then laughed when he jumped and squeaked, one hand over his heart, when there was a knock on the door. “Calm down.” He nodded, visibly shaking, and she grinned then handed him a condom and a tiny packet of lube. “Maybe you’ll get dessert, too. Be safe.”

“Ma!” He flushed crimson from head to toe and she laughed then opened the door and not so gently shoved him out of the door then closed it behind him. Steve yelped and Bucky caught him with a laugh as he stood him upright.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Bucky almost groaned. _Way to sound like an idiot Barnes!_ His tiny shoulder Clint and Sam were yelling at him again as he looked over Steve. His Hot Nerdy Twink looked amazing. His blonde hair was mussed, bangs hanging over his glasses covering one gorgeous blue eye and Bucky didn’t know if the almost hipster thing was an accident or not when he saw that Steve was wearing a short sleeved blue and white plaid button up with a white t-shirt underneath and a pair of obscenely snug dark washed denim skinny jeans with a pair of Converse that matched the blue plaid. “You uh . . . you look great, Steve.” God the blonde had no idea how gorgeous he looked. Bucky was almost sure he was drooling and licked his bottom lip to make sure he wasn’t. How embarrassing would that be?

Steve blushed as if on cue and barely resisted the urge to shuffle his feet and look down at the ground. He wouldn’t have gotten to see Bucky in all his messy glory if he had. Hot Messy Bun Guy was no more because Bucky had left his hair down in messy waves that fell just below his shoulders. It should have looked feminine, but there was nothing feminine about those cheekbones or that jawline. Or the way his leather jacket clung to his shoulders. The way the slightly too small black t-shirt stretched over his chest and a six pack that Steve had drooled over countless times while doing laundry. Bucky shifted and his shirt rode up and Steve almost reached up to make sure he wasn’t actually drooling when he saw the V that made everyone stupid and the waistband of Bucky’s boxers peeking out over a pair of tight, low-slung jeans. His outfit was finished off with a pair of black combat boots. Steve lifted his gaze and nearly stroked out when he realized that Bucky had a light smudge of black eyeliner rimming his grey-blue eyes.

“You look perfect.” Was that his voice that sounded so airy and wistful? God, how embarrassing.

Bucky only grinned then reached up and brushed Steve’s bangs out of his eyes. “So, I’m going to ask you something.”

“Uh huh?”

“Did your mother just shove you out of your apartment?” Steve nodded, blush still in place as he pulled back from Bucky and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. Half because of nerves and half to hide the condom and lube he still clutched in his hand. He turned back to the apartment and tried to open the door but found it locked.

“Can I at least say bye to my daughter?” Steve heard his mother laugh and then seconds later the door was cracked open and Angel peeked out with a wave and a huge grin then blew him a kiss. He blew her a kiss back then waved.

“Love you.”

“Love you daddy! Bye!”

“Bye, Angel.”

Steve turned around after his baby girl disappeared from view and the door was shut again.

“I was right.” Bucky said it with a grin that immediately had Steve wondering what he was going to say and almost knowing it would make him blush, again. He wished he’d get over the blushing around Bucky thing already.

“About what?”

“She’s adorable. Like her daddy.”

Steve blushed crimson as Bucky walked him down the hall and out of the building. When they reached the car Bucky opened the door for him, something that Steve knew his mother would like; he was certain she was watching through the apartment window because his apartment had a perfect view of the parking lot.

“Nervous?”

“No. Kind of. Yes. My Ma said something is all.”

“What’d she say,” Bucky asked as he climbed into the car and put his seatbelt on.

“Shehandedmeacondomandsaidtobecareful.” Steve mumbled it in one jumbled sentence that took Bucky a second to translate. He laughed after realizing what Steve had said then gave his date a gentle smile.

“Wow. No pressure huh?”

“Nah. None at all.” Steve laughed when Bucky grinned at him.

“Your mom always like that?”

“Yeah. She keeps telling me to go out. That it’s not right for me to only take care of my daughter.”

“Maybe she’s right?”

“What?” Steve almost growled it.

“Shh, let me talk. You obviously love your kid. You gotta love yourself too. It isn’t wrong to go out on a date or even just take time to yourself. You want the best for your daughter; you gotta want the best for yourself too.”

“Do you have kids,” Steve asked him to distract himself from the fact that both Bucky and his mother were right. He didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but he hated it when people gave him advice he hadn’t asked for. Unless it came from his mother and even then it was slightly annoying sometimes.

“No.”

“Then I don’t see . . .”

“I have a little sister, a niece and nephew. I helped raise my sister after our parents were killed. I also babysit when she needs me to if I’m off work.”

“Jeez Buck, I’m sorry.” Steve groaned and put his hands over his face. He was mortified. “Sometimes I do this thing were I open my mouth and ridiculous and insensitive things come out and then my foot winds up between my teeth.”

“If you’re trying to flirt with me by telling me how flexible you are it’s totally working.” Steve only blinked, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water Bucky howled with laughter as he drove.

“You’re such a jerk!”

“You love it, punk.”

***

“How long has it been since you were on a date?” Steve jolted and Bucky gave him a gentle smile. Steve had been fidgeting since they sat down at their booth and there was a small pile of shredded napkins starting. He was on his fourth one.

“Um . . . since . . . a couple months before Natasha found out she was pregnant. What about you?” Steve would rather hear Bucky talk than tell him of his failure of a love life. Not that he’d even tried to have one after Angel.

“A year and a half ago.”

“Really?”

Bucky laughed at the shocked tone of Steve’s voice. “That hard to believe?”

“Yes. No. I mean. You’re . . . what? Why?”

“Well, my last boyfriend was a huge asshole and I was going through some issues.” Bucky wiggled the fingers of his prosthetic. “He didn’t have time for those issues so we broke up. Then one day when I went to go do my laundry there was this gorgeous little twink in there washing a basket full of pink clothes. Is that creepy? I just made it creepy didn’t I?” Bucky groaned when Steve only stared at him with a look he couldn’t decipher.

“You thought . . . a year? What the hell, Bucky?”

“What?”

“You just said a year ago you saw a gorgeous little twink.”

“Yeah, and?”

“Nothin’.” Steve sighed. He couldn’t really lay it all on Bucky. He’d been just as stubborn and shy as Bucky seemed to have been.

“Tell me.”

“It’s just . . . I don’t know. We could have been doing this a year ago I guess.” Steve shrugged and leaned back when the waitress brought their drinks and burgers. “Thanks.” She smiled then walked away, not even glancing once in Bucky’s direction.

“I feel so insignificant right now.”

“What?”

“She never even looked at me, not even when she took our orders. I might as well’ve been a piece of gum on the bottom of her shoe.” Steve rolled his eyes when Bucky grinned. “She wants a piece of your tiny but fantastic ass.”

“Buck! You can’t just say stuff like that. There’s kids here,” Steve hissed it but Bucky was too busy cackling to care. “That’s so embarrassing.” He was mortified.

“Was just giving you a compliment, Stevie.”

“Oh, ha ha.”

“Your ass is fantastic. I’ve stared at it enough to know.”

“Jesus.” He knew he was crimson, could feel the blush burning his face and he knew even the tips of his ears were red. “Stop it.”

“But it is, I could probably cup it just perfectly in my hands and . . .” Bucky trailed off with a shocked blink when a tater tot hit him smack dab in the middle of his forehead and fell into his Coke. “Did you just . . . did you just throw a tater tot at me?” Steve only blinked innocently as he took a sip of his Sprite.

“It just flew off of my plate. You should have seen it. It must have been a ghost.”

“A poltergeisted tater tot?”

Steve nodded then gasped when Bucky threw one at him, hitting the lens of his glasses. Great, now he had a greasy spot and his cleaning wipes were at home. Another one hit his cheek and fell into his cup and he frowned at his date.

“They just jumped off of my plate.” Bucky’s face was all innocence but Steve, who could pretty much con anyone into thinking he was a perfect virginal cleric if he wanted to, knew better. Even if he hadn’t seen the brunette throw the tater tots he still would have known it was him.

The blonde picked up a tater tot and threw it, hitting Bucky on the nose. He grinned when it landed in the brunette’s Coke again and Bucky huffed and threw another back. Soon they were surrounded by tater tots and the pickles Steve had picked off of his burger and the waitress that had ignored Bucky was snapping at him for making a mess and asking Steve if she needed to call someone for him. He assured her that he didn’t, ignoring Bucky’s indignant squawk at her assumption that he had been the one to start the food fight.

“It’s all right. I promise. I think we should leave. I’m sorry.”

“You’re not the one that needs to apologize.”

Steve bit his bottom lip, fighting to keep his innocent expression when Bucky only sat with his mouth hanging open in shock. “I think you’re right.”

“But. . .” Buck pouted at his date then sighed and looked to the waitress. “I’m sorry I made a mess.” She nodded, a quick jerk of her head, and then walked away after slapping the bill next to his arm on the table.

“You’re such a fuckin’ punk,” Bucky whispered and Steve giggled then bit his lip to silence it. “Don’t know what I got myself into.” He stood, ignoring the amused gaze in those baby blues, and then walked to the register to pay for the dinner neither of them had touched other than to throw at each other.

He came back moments later and dropped a twenty on the table then sat his cup on top of it and grabbed Steve’s hand to pull him up. “Come on, before they call the cops on me for abusing you or something.” Steve giggled again and was full on cackling as soon as they stepped out of the diner. “Jesus, Stevie! You trying to get me murdered by that chick? She totally wanted to jump your bones and now she thinks I’m a jerk that treats you shitty. It’s your fault.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I just . . .” He started laughing again, leaning against the building while Bucky glared. “I’m sorry, Buck. I can’t help it if people think I’m so innocent.”

“You’re full of shit.” He couldn’t stay mad at Steve, wasn’t even really mad to begin with, it was just kind of a shock to see his awkward, shuffling, blushing, date turn into this mischievous punk that got them thrown out of diners. He looked so beautiful. His eyes were dancing, his perfect lips stretched into a smile that made Bucky want to kiss him, not that he didn’t want to kiss him anyway, and his whole body was shaking from laughter. “Such a punk!”

“No, I’m not. I’m innocent and sweet. I walk little old ladies across the road and climb trees to rescue cats.”

“Do you really?”

“Sometimes.”

Bucky stared at him for a minute, trying to figure out of he was joking or not then shook his head. “It’s only so people won’t know how much of a pain you really are.”

“Well, yeah. Gotta keep some secrets. Come on.” Steve wrapped long fingers around Bucky’s wrist and led him down the sidewalk. “Let’s go for a walk. We’ll come back after your car.”

***

A few blocks into their walk and the comfortable conversation and silence between them Steve turned them around and started back toward Bucky’s car. He was afraid he was going to have an asthma attack. Someone that they had walked past had been wearing some loud perfume had almost done that and Steve didn’t have his inhaler. He’d stupidly forgotten it at home in his desperation not to look like an idiot on his date. If he had been able to see better without his glasses he probably would have forgotten them too.

When they reached the car Steve looked at his phone to see that it was nearing nine o’clock. He didn’t want their date to be over, but Angel was waiting for him. He didn’t want to leave his mother watching her longer than he already had even though she’d told him to stay out as long as he wanted. He wasn’t used to leaving Angel for things like this. She was in daycare while he was at work and his mother watched her while he was taking art classes and it didn’t feel like he spent enough time with her even though he spent every minute he could with her when he was home. He felt guilty for leaving her for a date. No matter what his mother and Bucky said about it.

“Steve, do you want me to take you home?” Bucky knew Steve wouldn’t stay out much longer. Even if he wanted to. He would want to go home and cuddle and play with his daughter to make up for being gone on a date. The blonde was just about too decent. Even if he did start food fights that got them thrown out of diners.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I promised Angel and Ma I’d be back by nine.”

“No, it’s fine, Steve. You said you couldn’t stay out late. I get it.” Bucky smiled down at him then turned to unlock the car door.

“Shit! I forgot Angel’s pie. I’ll be right back.”  Bucky nodded and turned to watch as Steve ran into the diner and to the counter. Bucky wasn’t checking out Steve’s tiny but still perfect ass as he moved. Totally not doing it. He especially wasn’t checking it out as Steve stood on tiptoe and leaned over the counter as he talked to the waitress who had done everything but crawl all over him. Alright, he was totally checking out Steve’s ass. But how could he not? Especially when the little punk was wearing jeans that looked like they’d been painted on. Bucky pretended he hadn’t been staring when Steve walked out carrying a small styrofoam container.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. You ready?”

Steve nodded then climbed into the car, watching Bucky and totally not checking out his ass as he walked around the front of the car. He so wasn’t watching the tight denim stretching over his ass and thighs as he moved. Not at all. Okay, maybe just a little bit, but Jesus, how could he not?

Bucky turned and winked and Steve blushed realizing he’d been busted. The brunette laughed as he got into the car. “Punk.”

“Jerk.”

Bucky laughed as he started the car and drove away from the diner.

As soon as they reached Steve’s building Bucky was out of the car before Steve could take his seatbelt off and opened the door for him, taking his hand and helping him out.

“Thanks.” Steve stood next to the car awkwardly for a moment before squeezing Bucky’s hand when he realized he’d still been holding it then letting it go. “I guess I’ll see you next week?”

“What? I’m walking you back to your apartment. What kind of date would I be if I threw you out of my car and left?” What kind of dicks had Steve dated before? It was common courtesy to walk someone to their door. He didn’t even care if he got a kiss out of it. Though it would be nice. But still. “Come on.” Bucky took Steve’s hand back then led him into his building.

Bucky heard a quiet squeal as they walked, one he knew too well from hearing Clint’s hearing aids and leaned closer to Steve’s side. “Your hearing aid is messing up.”

“Oh! Sorry.” Steve reached up and messed with it until the squealing stopped.

“You’re fine, Stevie. I’ve never seen you wearing it before.”

“I have one of those little ones that you can’t see that I wear when my hearing fucks up. Sometimes I can hear without one, but . . . anyway, the stupid thing messed up so I had to dig this one out.” Steve looked a little bit ashamed for having to use it and Bucky shook his head.

“Hey, it’s all right. My buddy Clint has to use ‘em. He’s mostly deaf in both ears. He lost his hearing when he was in the Army. He was leaving as I was going in and we met back up at the VA.”

“Oh.”

“He doesn’t wear them unless he’s at work, but he still wears them.”

“What’s he do?”

“He’s a jewelry designer but teaches archery on the side sometimes.”

Steve frowned. Why did that sound familiar? Someone he used to know maybe? Someone Natasha used to know? He ran the name through his mind a few times until it hit him. “Clint Barton?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“My . . . Natasha loved his jewelry. She used to go in and look around. I think she had a crush on Clint honestly. She was always talking about the designer and how funny he was. She thought it was funny that he didn’t actually look like a jewelry designer. That he should have been doing anything else but that.”

“He thinks he’s Robin Hood. Without the robbing from the rich to feed the poor thing. Though I guess he does kind of do that since he always donates to charities after selling an expensive piece. He’s totally got a hard on for archery though.”

Steve laughed, flipping his bangs out of his eyes. “I remember. Nat would just . . . she talked about him a lot. I met him a few times when she would drag me in the shop with her. He was cool. I haven’t talked to him since Natasha passed away.”

“You know Clint? I mean, you know him and he never told me about you?”

“It was a long time ago Buck. I’d be surprised if he remembered me. Besides, he probably thought I was Nat’s annoying little brother or something.”

“I’m gonna kill ‘im.”

Steve laughed again, half afraid that Bucky really meant it. Bucky was shaking his head and pouting down at the floor.

“We could have met a long time ago, Steve.”

“It wouldn’t have worked out then Bucky. I was getting over a two year relationship at the time and after what happened with Natasha it just didn’t seem to matter anymore.”

“Why did you wait so long? I mean, I know partially because of Angel, it’s got to be difficult to even think about bringing someone new into your life, but . . .” Bucky trailed off with a shrug and Steve sighed.

“I guess I was just waiting for the right guy.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Steve smiled up at the brunette then gasped when Bucky leaned down and brushed his lips over Steve’s. The rush of blood to his head as he blushed left him dizzy and he grabbed Bucky’s arm. Bucky kissed him again then pulled back, Steve’s hand sliding off of his arm, fingers dragging over the leather jacket and metal of his hand.

“Good night, Stevie.”

“Good night, Buck.”

Steve watched Bucky turn and walk down the hallway and waited until he was gone before knocking on the door to the apartment. He knew his mother would want every little detail and he would prefer it if Bucky wasn’t around to hear him and his mother gushing over him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love all the comments and kudos and such. Thank you so much. <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long with this one, but it's here. 
> 
> It's been read over once but there's probably mess ups that we didn't catch, but we wanted to get it posted. We'll go over it again soon and if you seen anywhere that's screwed up let us know and we'll fix it.

Steve hadn’t made it three steps into the apartment before his mother was badgering him about his date. What did they do? What did they talk about? Did they have plans for another one? Did he still think Bucky had hung the moon?  Was Bucky even his real name for that matter?  Who would name their kid Bucky? Was he as perfect as Steve thought he was? Tell me everything. Angel’s asleep you can see her in a little bit. Ooh, eyeliner.

“We got into a food fight.” Sarah narrowed her eyes at her son and he grinned. “It was fun.”

“Steven Grant Rogers.”

“It was fine. I got Bucky in trouble and the waitress got mad at him.”

“Because you can do no wrong.”

Steve pretended he didn’t hear the heavy sarcastic drawl. “We got thrown out.”

“Steven!”

“It was fine,” he repeated. “Bucky thought it was as funny as I did.”

“Did you actually eat dinner or did you waste it all?”

“Um . . .” Steve smiled sheepishly and she gave a long-suffering sigh that he had heard many times throughout his life. It wasn’t technically his fault. He was certain it had to do with learned behaviors and since he’d never really had a father because his dad had died when he was younger than Angel; it was his mother’s fault. She’d put it on herself.

“That poor boy took you out to dinner and then you didn’t even let him eat any of it. Or did he get something else?”

“Ma! No. What the? No! What is wrong with you? Jeez.” Sarah was laughing now and Steve glared at her. “Would you stop it? We’ve been on exactly one date and we’ve talked exactly three times, so stop. I’m waiting until I’m ready. Besides, he may not even want to see me again after this.”

“Stop that!” Sarah went off and smacked him on the back of the head. Not nearly as hard as she wanted to, though. God but that boy was stubborn. She had always hated the way he put himself down. She’d done her best to teach him not to, that what other people thought about you didn’t matter as much as what you thought about yourself, but years of teasing while in school, and even after, had left just as much of an impression on him as she had. She knew he still thought of himself as the scrawny nerd, the sickly child he had been, the one who didn’t get to play sports and carried an inhaler around in his pocket, the one that spent the majority of his childhood in and out of the hospital and sketching and painting to while away the time. The only time he hadn’t seen himself that way was when he was hanging out with Natasha. Even when he was confined to his bed or the couch Natasha had always been there and dragged him out of his self-hatred. His self-esteem was shit and had been unless he was with Natasha; the tiny redhead had done away with that too.

“Mother.”

“No. You listen to me, Steven. You’re a good man and if he doesn’t see that it’s not your fault. Your heart is a hell of a lot bigger than a lot of people’s would be after the things you’ve been through.”

“I’m not saying that. It’s just . . . this was a first date, okay? Who knows if we’ll even have another one?”

“Bullshit!”

“Language.”

“Don’t even. You curse worse than I do.” She pegged him with a glare that had him looking down at the floor. It was the mom one. The one that would make you confess to something even if you hadn’t done it just to keep her from looking at you that way.

“Let it go for tonight, okay? Please? It was fun and he was . . . he was perfect. Just let me mull it over.”

“Don’t talk yourself out of it, Steve. I know you’ve got Angel to consider and it’s going to be difficult because of it, but please don’t talk yourself out of something good. Okay?”

“I’ll be fine, Ma. I’m a big boy now. You don’t have to hold my hand anymore.” He smirked and she laughed then hugged him tightly.

“Shut up. You’ll always be my baby boy.” She kissed the top of his head and he faked struggling to pull away from her.

“Can I check on Angel now?”

Sarah sighed heavily then turned him loose. “Fine. Leave this sentimental old woman here to pout on her own.”

“You’re not old. You don’t even have any wrinkles.”

“Got a few greys though and they’re all your fault.”

Steve snorted then walked out of the living room to go check on his baby girl. Angel was sound asleep, clutching her pink unicorn tightly. Her scarlet curls were half over her face and frizzed from rubbing against her pillow. She had a quiet snore thanks to the sinus problems she’d inherited from him. He thanked God every day that she didn’t have his asthma too. He bit back a laugh when she snorted and he smiled when she rolled over onto her back and kicked her blanket off. He walked to her bed and covered her back up, leaning down long enough to brush a kiss over her forehead.

“I love you. Goodnight, baby.”

***

Bucky grinned as he let himself into his apartment. He never would have imagined that tiny, shy, Steve, his little . . . whatever Steve was at this point, was such a fuckin’ punk. He’d known a little bit, but not to the point where he thought Steve would get them kicked out of the diner. They hadn’t even gotten to eat anything. Was it sappy of Bucky to think it was still a perfect first date? He didn’t remember ever having so much fun on a date before, much less a first date. It might have helped the awkwardness that he and Steve had if not known each other for a year at least knew of each other and had finally started talking.

Bucky walked into the living room and frowned when he saw Sam and Clint sitting on his couch playing Mario Kart on the Wii he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of. It still worked and he enjoyed the playful animosity it brought out between the three of them when they played.

“What are you doing here?”

“Making sure you’re still alive and that your boy wasn’t really some crazy ax murderer.” Sam grinned as he said it and Bucky flipped him off then fell beside him on the couch.

“You fucking owe me, Barton.”

“What? What’d I do?” Clint paused the game and looked at Bucky in confusion. What was he talking about?

“You know him.”

“Who?”

“Steve! You know Steve. You knew his ex . . . she wasn’t his ex, but his kid’s mom.”

“Um . . .”

“Little redhead used to hang out in your store. Always had a little blonde guy with her. I wasn’t around then. Sam showed you the picture didn’t he?”

“Yeah, but . . .”

“You held out on me.”

“Spit it out, Bucky.”

“You know him and you didn’t tell me. I could’ve been married to him by now.” He most likely wasn’t exaggerating about it either.

“The date went well then,” Sam raised his eyebrows as he asked and Bucky grinned.

“He’s amazing. We into a food fight and got thrown out of the diner.” Sam and Clint both gave him a flat stare and he laughed. “The little shit. He threw a tater tot at me and it escalated from there. Little punk had the waitress convinced that I was the one that started it. All I did was tell him she wanted to jump his bones and that he’s got a great ass and he threw a tater tot at me. She railed on me and she and Steve made me apologize for the mess even though he started it. We had to leave after that. Walked around a bit, talked a bit, I drove him home, walked him to his apartment and left.”

Sam was grinning and Clint only shook his head. “So not only did you not get to actually eat dinner you didn’t get desert either.”

“Oh, fuck off. He’s not . . . I’m not . . . he’s got a kid, man. He ain’t gonna rush into anything like that. I’ll give him all the time he needs.”

Bucky frowned when Sam and Clint gave each other a pointed look and he seriously thought those two had some kind of telepathy going on because they did that silent conversation thing way too much.

“What?”

“Nothin’.” Clint turned back to the TV where the game was still paused then turned back to Bucky. “Did you tell him you actually own a washer and dryer?”

“No. Shit, I don’t want him to think I’m some kind of creep.” Clint only raised a brow, as if he had just pointed out the obvious and Bucky frowned. “Finish this track ‘cause I’m gonna kick your ass all over Rainbow Road.”

“You’re on, Barnes.”

Bucky nodded then turned to watch Sam and Clint hit each other’s cars. Yeah, he needed to tell Steve about the washer and dryer thing, but he still had time right? It wasn’t like Steve was going to find out and it was kind of creepy, but hell, Bucky had been half in love with Steve the minute he’d seen him. He got points for that right? For being stupid and falling in love with someone he’d never talked to until a week ago. Probably it would be pity points instead because he was such a fucking loser.

Did it even matter? Steve might not even want to go out with him again. Bucky would have to a actually start doing his laundry at home because he would never be able to keep using the laundromat without pining over what could have been. It would be fucking awkward as hell to keep doing his laundry there and not be able to talk to Steve. To sit next to him and watch him draw. To see those beautiful eyes darken instead of shine. Jesus he hoped Steve wanted to see him again.

“Dude,” Sam hit his arm and Bucky almost jumped out of his skin.

“What?”

“You’re doing that thing again.”

“What thing? I don’t have a thing.”

“You’re worrying about your boy. I know that look. What’s wrong?”

“What if he doesn’t want to see me again?”

“You can do your laundry at home for once?”  Clint shrugged as he said it and Sam reached over Bucky and punched the archer on the shoulder. “What? Oh, uh . . . it’s his loss?”

“Gee, thanks, Barton. Is it too soon to text him?”

“Text? No. Call? Yes. So long as you don’t plan on asking him out again.” Sam shrugged as he said it and Bucky groaned.

“But, you’re the one that made me ask him in the first place.”

“Only because you wouldn’t pull your head out of your ass and do it yourself.”

“Yeah, but . . . he’s perfect, Sam.”

“Shit,” Clint grumbled under his breath then looked to the brunette who was staring wistfully down at his cell phone as he typed. “Bucky. Buck. James!”

“What?” He blinked up at Clint and frowned at the almost pitying look on his face.

“Whatever you do don’t profess your undying love for him, okay?”

“I’m not gonna. I’m not that much of a complete loser.”

Sam and Clint shared another look as if pointing out that yes he was that much of a complete loser and he was being a little bit dramatic about Steve and Bucky glared at them then looked back to his phone.

“Gimme your phone.” Clint pulled it from his hand and read over the text message making sure it didn’t say anything sappy, because no matter how, well, not sappy, Barnes acted the dude was a total sap. He liked puppies and kittens and babies and flowers and yeah, he’d kick your ass if you needed it but two seconds later he’d be gushing over kitten videos on YouTube. So yeah, dude was a total sap and it was in his best interests that he be supervised right now. Otherwise he was liable to go over to Steve’s apartment with a boombox and stand under his window blaring love songs.

“Give it back!” Bucky reached for his phone and Clint stood, darting out of reach when Bucky grasped for his phone.

“No. ‘Hey, Stevie,’” He read. “‘Just wanted to let you know I had a great time tonight. Even if I did get attacked by poltergeisted tater tots. Is it too early to ask you out again? Smiley face.’ Dude, you put a smiley face and you were just told it was too soon to ask him out again.”

“I’m gonna marry him someday.”

“Sure, just ask him already and see how it goes.” Clint grinned and Sam started laughing when the archer started typing.

“No!” Bucky tackled him and wrested his phone back and looked at the screen to see that the message had been sent in the struggle. “No, no, no. Oh, God. What did it say?” Bucky was still laying on Clint, keeping him pinned to the floor with an elbow on his collarbone as he read over the message. “Oh my God, Clint! I’m gonna kill you.”

“Oh, shit! I didn’t mean to send it.”

Sam was too busy laughing to feel sorry for the ass kicking Clint was going to get and definitely too busy laughing over Bucky’s misfortune to try and help either one of them.

“He’s never going to talk to me again!” Bucky was typing furiously, trying to explain to Steve that Clint had gotten his phone and he wasn’t actually asking him to marry him. Neither was Clint.

***

Steve’s text alert went off and he pulled his phone out of his pocket to see that Bucky had texted him. Sarah leaned over to see his phone as he opened the message and he gave her a weak glare then turned away from her curling around his phone so she couldn’t see. “Ma!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You stay and text lover boy. I’ll go home and miss out on my baby’s first boyfriend in forever.” She fake sobbed dramatically and he rolled his eyes tilting his head up to accept the kiss she brushed over his temple. It wouldn’t do any good to shy away from it. She’d only jump him and wind up kissing his whole face like she had done when he was a kid. She acted more childishly sometimes than he did. Maybe she didn’t start food fights on a first date, but still. “See you later, baby.”

“Bye.”

“Do I need to pick up Angel from daycare tomorrow?”

“No, she’s not going. I’m off again tomorrow. They’re switching the schedules around again.”

“Still think you should have taken the manager’s job they tried to give you.”

“It’s longer hours which means even less time with Angel.”

“But it means a raise and maybe a better place?”

“I like this place just fine. Angel does too. We’re fine, Mother.”

“All right. All right. Bye, Stevie.”

“Bye, Ma.” He waited until she was out of the apartment to read the text. Another showed up and he smiled and closed it to read the first.

_Bucky: Just wanted to let you know I had a great time tonight. Even if I did get attacked by poltergeisted tater tots. Is it too early to ask you out again? :)_ _P.S. I’m desperately in love with you. Will you marry me and have gorgeous blue eyed babies with me?_

Steve blinked at his phone then cracked up laughing. That was sudden. Or maybe not since they’d been dancing around each other for a year. He went to the next message from Bucky and laughed again.

_Bucky: omg I’m so sorry. Clint got my phone. He added the proposal. The rest of it was me. Please don’t think I’m a creepy weirdo._

Steve texted him back, he could picture Bucky pacing or chewing his thumbnail as he waited for his reply and almost wanted to make him suffer a little bit, just to be a little shit, but decided not to. Well, maybe a little bit.

_Steve: Sure._

_Bucky: Sure you’ll go out with me again? Sure you’ll marry me and have gorgeous blue eyed babies, or sure I’m a creepy weirdo?_

_Steve: Yes._

_Bucky: Yes what? You’re killing me here, Stevie._

Steve grinned mischievously. He was so going to make Bucky suffer a bit. It was too fun not to. Another text came moments later and it had probably been taken by Clint because Bucky was curled into a ball on the sofa, his grey-blue eyes glittering and perfect lips pulled down into a pout. That was too cute for him not to relent.

_Steve: Aww, poor baby. Yes, I’ll go out with you again. I’m sorry, but it’s too soon for us to get married. And I don’t know you well enough to say if you’re a creepy weirdo or not. :)_ _  
_

The next message he got was a short video of Clint batting his eyelashes and making kissy faces while Bucky yelled and tried to fight the phone away from him while someone else, probably Sam, laughed in the background. Another message showed up and this one was a video of Bucky apologizing for his “former” best friends and showed Sam and Clint sitting on the sofa looking miserable, but not as miserable as Bucky had in the picture they’d sent. Steve laughed, louder than he meant to, and winced when he heard shuffling in Angel’s room. Angel whimpered and Steve sighed then texted Bucky back letting him know that Angel was awake and he had to go and would talk to him later as he walked to her room.

“Daddy!” She sobbed and he shoved his phone in his pocket ignoring the new text alert when he saw his baby girl sitting up in bed with her hands fisted over her eyes and her red hair sticking up all over the place.

“I’m here, baby.” He lifted her into his arms and sat on her bed, cuddling her close when she grasped at his shirt while she cried. She always cried when she woke up from naps or when she woke up at night. “I’m sorry I woke you up, sweetheart. Daddy didn’t mean to.” She nodded and he rocked her until her sobs died down to quiet sniffles. “Are you okay?” She nodded again and he laid her down then lay next to her and pulled the blankets over them.

“Pie?”

He smiled and tapped her on the nose with his finger. “You can have it for breakfast, Angel. It’s too late to eat pie tonight.”

“Aww!”

“Nope. You’ll get sick to your tummy.” She pouted up at him, looking so much like her mother he wanted to cry, and he shook his head. “No.”

“Poop.” The petulant half pout half smirk was all him though and he smiled then snuggled closer to her and wondered what Bucky would think about him having no problems getting comfortable on Angel’s toddler bed.

“You wanna take a picture with me?” Angel nodded with a grin and Steve reached over her to turn on the pink unicorn lamp that sat on the dresser next to her bed. “Okay.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it to see that the text from Bucky was one telling him okay and goodnight. Steve smiled then rolled onto his back and Angel immediately snuggled closer to him, resting her head on chest. He snapped a quick picture and showed it to her then sent it to Bucky with the caption: _Trying to go back to sleep. Yes, it’s a toddler bed. Shut your face. :D Goodnight Buck._

He immediately got a text back. _So fucking adorable! Goodnight._

Steve reached over and turned the lamp back off then closed his eyes as he combed his hand through Angel’s curls. As first dates went it hadn’t been bad at all. He wondered what would happen on the second date and vowed that they would at least get to eat if nothing else.

***

Sam and Clint both raised a brow when Bucky practically squealed like a little kid as he stared down at his phone. They still hadn’t finished their race on Mario Kart, were too busy laughing at Bucky being a sap to even attempt to play the game and Bucky shoved his phone in their faces.

“So fucking cute. Aren’t they cute? God, she looks so much like her daddy. So adorable. She’s got unicorn jammies.”

“Barnes?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you hand your man card over to Steve on your date?”

“Fuck off, Wilson.”

“Seriously. Dude, you’re being such a sap,”

“Shut up.”

“He’s right,” Clint added taking Bucky’s phone away from him and sitting it on the coffee table. “It’s time to earn it back.” He handed Bucky one of the steering wheels that held the Wiimotes. “We need whiskey, Sam. It’s manly enough to help Bucky earn his card back.”

“You guys are assholes.” Bucky grinned even as he said it and changed the track to Rainbow Road. “Get ready to lose, Barton.”

“You’re on!”

The race started and Bucky laughed maniacally as he immediately shoved Clint off the track. It wasn’t a bad way to end the day. He’d had a great date with Steve and was only keeping half his attention on the video game. The rest of his attention was working on planning their next date and realizing that he’d never be able to step foot into the diner again. With or without Steve. Probably it was better that he take Steve somewhere slightly less casual next time. At least that way he might not be in danger of getting pelted with flying potato projectiles and they might even get to eat, not that he was saying it was bad; they’d had more fun throwing food at each other than they might have otherwise. Still, it hadn’t been a bad day at all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry it's taken so long to update. My laptop has been temporarily removed from my possession. (Okay, it's being borrowed by my mother 'cause hers crapped out and she needs it for reasons.) I've only been able to spend like five minutes at a time on my laptop and this is the first time I've been on it longer than those five minutes in about a week. I can do a lot on my phone, but typing a new chapter ain't one of 'em.
> 
> Apologies again because this is rather short, and gets a tiny bit angsty, but we hope to have more soon and hopefully it won't take another couple weeks before a new chapter gets done.
> 
> And it's been read over but I'm sure grammatical errors and such have been overlooked so I'm sorry for that as well.

Steve woke up feeling tiny hands patting his face and he cracked an eye open to see Angel kneeling over him on her bed, a huge grin on her face and blue foam from her toothpaste around her mouth. He smiled at her then closed his eyes and pulled her up to sit on his stomach.

“Mornin’ Daddy.”

“Morning, Angel.” He covered his mouth as he yawned and Angel giggled, bouncing up and down.

“Pie?”

“More sleep?”

“Daddy.” He cracked his eye back open when he heard the fed up sounding tone of her voice. Something else she’d inherited from her mother.

Natasha had always, ever since she and Steve were little, had that tone. She’d been too serious for her age all of their lives. Not to say she didn’t have a sense of humor or know how to have fun. She did, but she always kept an aloof expression or attitude kept people from getting too close. Sometimes to keep from getting hurt and sometimes if people annoyed her. _Especially_ if they annoyed her. Angel had the same attitude sometimes, but most of the time she was bubbly and enjoyed being around people a little bit more than what Steve was comfortable with.

She didn’t run off, thanks to the cute plush monkey harness baby leash thing his mother had gotten him when Angel started walking, but she wasn’t exactly shy most of the time either and would strike up a conversation with people standing next to them at the park or in the store. Still for some reason there were people that Angel just flat out didn’t like, for no reason that he could tell, and she would pull that aloof expression from out of nowhere and be on just this side of rude if they tried talk to her or say hi. She’d even tried to beat up a boy at daycare because he had sat what she thought was too close to her and wouldn’t move. Shades of her mother.

Steve smiled at that then sat up, gently dumping Angel over backward and she laughed kicking her feet into the air. He pinched her big toe and she squealed then rolled over and dropped to the floor.

“Daddy!”

“Angel!”

She rolled across the floor, heading toward her bedroom door, and Steve sighed as he stood to follow her. “One of these days Daddy’s gonna sleep in his own bed.” He had fallen asleep with Angel on her bed every night for the past week. A couple times he’d fallen asleep before she had and she’d woken him up so he could finish reading The Cat in the Hat which was her favorite book right now. He was pretty sure he had it memorized word for word at this point but still read from the book, skimming his finger along under the words for Angel to follow.

“Nope.”

“You sure?”

“Yep. Pie now?”

“After we wash your grubby face.”

“Aww!” She stopped rolling long enough to pout at him and he rolled his eyes then swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bathroom to wash her face. As soon as they were done washing away the blue foam Angel wiggled down from his arms and slid to the floor. “Now?”

“Yep.” She bounced all the way to the kitchen and waited patiently by her highchair as he put her piece of pie on a plate and grabbed a spoon. He didn’t quite trust her having a fork for her piece of pie. He could just imagine the damage she could do with the cherry pie filling. She slung food around enough as it was.

“Do you want milk or juice?”

“Milk pwease.”

“Okay, baby.”

Steve fixed her sippy cup of milk then sat her in the vintage Jenny Lind highchair that had been his as a baby and sat the pie and cup on it.

“Tank you, Daddy.”

“You’re welcome, baby.” He turned to make his own breakfast, coffee and toast, then sat next to Angel at the table. “What do you think we should do today? Should we paint? Or should we go to the park and feed the ducks?”

“Duckies!” Her mouth was full of pie and she spit cherries and half chewed pie crust as she yelled and he sighed then wiped her face.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Angelina.”

“Okay.” She shrugged then took a drink of her milk. “Bwead?”

“Are we going to feed them bread?”

“Yeh.”

“Nope, thought we’d give ‘em grapes today. We already have some in the fridge.”

“Okay.” She grinned then took another bite of pie and chewed carefully then swallowed. “Gwamma?”

“Not today, Angel. Grandma’s working.”

“Oh.”

Angel finished eating her breakfast and went to dress as Steve sliced the grapes to feed the ducks. He’d probably have to go redress her after but she was getting independent enough to want to pick out her own clothes and dress herself. Most of the time she got it right. Of course all of her clothes were varying shades of pink and pretty much all matched. He dumped the grapes into a plastic tub with a lid then walked into the living room to see his baby girl sitting on the couch wearing her Minnie Mouse dress and cardigan with her pink patent ballet flats.

“You want me to braid your hair?”

“Nope. Fluffy.”

“All right, baby. Hold the grapes. Can you sit here and be good for a few minutes while I take a shower?” She nodded with a grin that had him instantly suspicious and he was tempted to put her in her play pen, but knew she’d probably climb out of it as soon as he left the room. He picked up the remote for the tv and changed it to PBS where Curious George was on. It was probably his least favorite cartoon. The damn monkey never got in trouble for screwing around and messing things up. Granted George did manage to fix most of what he messed up, but still . . .

“I don’t wike it.” Angel wrinkled her nose and he bit back a laugh.

“It’s almost over, Angel. Sesame Street will be on after.” Another of his childhood shows changed because the powers that be had decided to add CGI and other unnecessary additions to the show. Where the hell did Abby Cadabby come from anyway? And how the hell old were Gordon and Maria? Because they were still there on some of the newish episodes.

***

Steve laughed at Angel’s squeal when one of the ducks stole a grape out of the small plastic tub then picked her up and stood her on the picnic table where she wouldn’t get trampled by the ducks that were bigger than she was. She stamped her feet with loud giggles as she threw grapes onto the grass watching the ducks fight over the fruit.

He smile turned a little sad when he remembered that he and Natasha had come here to feed the ducks whenever they could up until she’d died. They had always talked about bringing Angel and having picnics and feeding the ducks. They’d talked about a lot of the things they would do in the future. They would live together, raise Angel together, and future relationships and significant others would have to get used to it because Angel would come first no matter what happened or who else was involved. Their baby girl would be loved and never want for anything.

Natasha had had told him that after Angel was born and a few months old that she would like to keep taking the jobs that Steve knew weren’t safe, even if he didn’t know the details, but provided them with more money than he would ever make working at the grocery store or even selling his art. He’d talked her out of it because he knew there was a chance she could be hurt or killed. In the end none of it had mattered because Natasha hadn’t lived long enough to go through with her plans.

He blinked back tears with a heavy sigh and saw Angel staring at him in concern. “Daddy?”

“I’m all right, Angel.”

“You miss Mommy?”

It didn’t surprise him that Angel had guessed. He’d told her enough stories about him and Natasha feeding the ducks. “Yeah, I miss Mommy.” Angel gave him a gentle smile then poked his chest. “I know Mommy’s there sweetheart, but sometimes I still miss her.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, it’ll be okay.” Steve sat on the table next to her and she sat on his leg and leaned against him and started throwing grapes again. “Did I tell you about the time Mommy pushed me into the pond?” Angel shook her head with a giggle. “Mommy and I were eight or nine and we were feeding the ducks and Mommy decided she wanted the last piece of bread but it was mine. Grandma divided them evenly and it wasn’t my fault that Mommy had given all of hers to the duckies already. I wouldn’t give it to her so she pushed me in and I couldn’t swim well yet so she had to jump in and save me anyway. Grandma grounded us then cleaned us up and sent Mommy home and I didn’t get to see her for a whole week.”

Angel was too busy laughing and calling him silly and feeding the ducks to notice the tears he blinked away. Sometimes he felt so helpless when he cried over Natasha. Sometimes he felt like he should have quit crying over her a long time ago and sometimes he felt like he should never stop crying for her. Never stop crying for the days, months, and years they had lost. Their plans for a future that would never happen.

His cell rang and he sniffled as he pulled it out of his pocket. He smiled weakly when he saw that it was Bucky.

“Who’zat?” Angel looked down at the screen and Steve smiled at her then tweaked her nose.

“A friend of mine.” He slid the phone back into his pocket. He’d call Bucky back later or text him. He didn’t think he could talk to him right now.

“Hot Buns Guy?” Angel blinked innocently and Steve fought a blush as he nodded. He didn’t realize she’d heard him talking about Bucky before. “Talk!”

“I’ll talk to him in a little while. We’re having our Daddy Daughter Day right now.”

“Gwamma says you wike Hot Buns Guy.”

“I do like Hot Buns Guy.” And Bucky did have very nice buns. “I like him a lot, but Daddy is spending time with his baby girl right now and will call him later.”

“Ugh!” She glared at him, the same glare Natasha had, and he sighed when she sat the tub of grapes on the table and tried to dig his phone out of his pocket. “Talk!”

“Okay, baby.” He only agreed because of the look she was giving him. The one Natasha had given him most of their lives. The one that promised severe consequences if he didn’t do something she wanted done. He pulled the cell back out of his pocket and Angel smiled then went back to throwing grapes to the ducks, laughing excitedly when they caught them. His phone had already stopped ringing and he unlocked it then called his . . . whatever Bucky was to him, back.

Bucky answered after the first ring and Steve’s weak smile turned to a grin when he heard his voice. Maybe things would work out between them and even if they didn’t romantically he knew that Bucky would be a good friend to have. That was if Steve would ever be able to get the nerve to talk to him again if things didn’t work out. How could they stay friends if Steve was still pining over Hot Buns Guy?

“You sound sad, Stevie.”

“No. Well, maybe a little. I’m brooding.”

“About?”

“Angel’s ma. We’re at the park feeding the ducks and Nat and I used to come here all the time. I just got weepy a little.”

“I’m sorry, Steve. Will you be okay? Do you need anything? I can call back later?”

Steve smiled softly hearing the worry in Bucky’s voice. “No, it’s okay. Really. I’ll be all right. I was just telling Angel about the time her mommy threw me into the pond.”

“She threw you?”

“Well, she pushed me.” Bucky laughed as Steve told him the story, Angel cuddled against his side again as she finished throwing grapes and Steve couldn’t help but laugh with him. Maybe next time he was missing Natasha he could call Bucky and talk to him about her. Not in great detail, not all of their past, but maybe just enough that he wouldn’t miss her so much.


	7. It's an update! Woot!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I apologize for the time it's taken to get an update. Laptop issues again. At this point I think I should invest in a desktop after my insurance runs out on my laptop. At least it would be harder for me to drop and/or step on a desktop.
> 
> This chapter is kinda short and a little dialogue heavy. The next will be longer and more involved and feature date night part 2.

“What about neon orange or hot pink?”

Steve laughed shaking his head when he saw Bucky staring at the front loading washer. Angel’s swirl of pink clothes was slowing down to begin the rinse cycle.

“She doesn’t like it, Buck.”

Bucky pouted slightly then sighed. “Fine.”

“She likes pink, baby pink, and hot pink. I’ve tried other colors, believe me, she won’t have them.”

“All right.” Bucky pouted again then wrapped his arm around Steve’s shoulders when the blonde leaned against him and started sketching. Steve fit against him perfectly and Bucky wanted to keep him there as long as he could. Half of it was because Steve always felt chilled and Bucky was afraid he’d get sick from it. The other half was because Bucky liked to cuddle and knew Steve would let him.

“Nat wore black a lot, but I thought too much black would look harsh on Angel because she’s so tiny.” Steve shifted to smudge a line on the sketchpad and Bucky looked down to see an older version of Angel.

“Is that her?”

“Yeah.”

“Angel looks like her.”

“Yeah. Except she’s got my hands. Sometimes when she smiles I see myself in her, but mostly I see Natasha.”

“How long did you know her?”

“Forever.” Steve smiled sadly as he shaded around her eyes. “The beginning of first grade when her family moved from Russia.”

“Russia?”

“Mmm.”

“Were they spies?”

Steve raised a brow and dropped his head back against Bucky’s arm to stare up at him. The brunette grinned and Steve chuckled and shook his head. “Not so far as I know.” He wouldn’t tell Buck about the part where he thought Natasha had been a spy. Not for Russia, but for the States. He was pretty sure she had been. Of course she was pretty and small and unassuming so she was likely to get away with it. That and she’d kick someone’s ass if she had to and Steve wasn’t afraid to admit to himself that he thought she might have killed people for work too.

“I bet she was a tiny assassin.” Bucky nodded down at the paper and Steve followed his gaze, only now noticing that he’d drawn Natasha with an elegantly raised brow and a gentle smile, eyes shining bright. Giving nothing away about the fact that she’d kick your ass right after giving you that look. “I bet you were both tiny assassins and you gave it up to stay home with the baby.” Steve only laughed.

“I was an art student.”

“It was just a cover though right? Tiny sexy art student, unassuming, slightly awkward, shy around people he thinks are hot but not anyone else, teacher’s favorite student, friends with the dean. Worked at a coffee shop after class. Spent your nights trading secrets and assassinating people.”

“I spent my nights painting, drawing, sleeping, or with my boyfriend.”

“Who was also an assassin.”

“Shut up, Buck. He was just an asshole. Besides, you’re the one that was in the Army. For all I know you’re secretly a spy and just say you work at the VA, but it’s really your cover which is perfect because you’re around all kinds of military personnel so even if they’re discharged or retired or whatever you still got connections that you can pass information through. Either that or you work for a secret government agency that uses the VA as its base of operations and hides the real stuff down in the basement.”

Bucky put a hand over Steve’s mouth, muffling the rest of what he was going to say and Steve glared up at him. “Shh! If you say anything else I’ll have to do away with you. Ah!” Bucky yelped with a grimace and shook his hand wildly while Steve cackled. “I can’t believe you licked me. That’s so gross.”

“Please, you wouldn’t think it was gross if we were somewhere else and I licked you.” Steve fought a blush as he said it and Bucky sighed.

“Shut up, punk.” Steve grinned then pushed himself up just far enough to give Bucky a gentle kiss then leaned back against him and started sketching again.

“Besides, you’re the one that put your hand over my mouth. If anything you deserved to at least get licked. You’re lucky I didn’t bite you. Jerk.”

“Well, I can tell you that my hand wouldn’t be where I want you to bite me so . . .” Bucky trailed off with a shrug and Steve snorted, flipping to a blank page in his sketch book.

“Go put your clothes in the dryer.”

“Yes, sir.” Bucky nudged him up then walked to the washing machine with a wink over his shoulder when he caught the tiny blonde staring at his ass again.

It wasn’t like he didn’t stare at Steve’s all the time either. He still bet it’d fit perfectly in his hands. Not that he’d tell Steve that. At least not right now. He’d tell him eventually. Just like he’d have to tell him sooner or later about having his own washer and dryer at his place. He’d have to fess up to it at some point. He just didn’t know how or when to do it. For sure before Steve went to his apartment. Maybe he’d move before that happened though and he could tell Steve he only just bought them and then he could invite Steve over for laundry day and they’d get to hang out in private and Steve could bring Angel at some point.

Hell even if he didn’t move he thought it would be a good idea for Steve to bring Angel with him to do laundry. It would have to come up at some point. If they were going to have any type of relationship at all he would have to meet Steve’s baby girl. He hoped she liked him. If she didn’t then he pretty much knew his and Steve’s relationship wouldn’t go anywhere. Not because Steve wouldn’t like him anymore, but because Angel meant so much to him he wouldn’t want her uncomfortable with anyone. Especially if that someone was going to be around a lot.

Steve did a rough sketch of Bucky as he stood in front of the washing machine. Whatever the brunette was thinking was serious enough that he’d been standing there for a few minutes with a slight frown. He hadn’t even gotten his clothes out of the washer yet. Steve didn’t think it was something he’d done. Maybe Bucky was still grossed out because he’d licked his hand? Even if he had been super grossed out by it he seemed the type to lick someone back and make it worse than it was for himself. Steve could wish anyway. Well, not . . . no, yeah he could wish Bucky would put his tongue on him, but not to gross him out.

“We’re still going out right,” Bucky asked out of the blue. Steve nodded watching as Bucky finally pulled his clothes from the washer and tossed them into the rolling basket.

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I mean, Clint and Sam want to meet you and they’re pretty much riding my ass about it. It’s been three weeks, blah, blah, blah. Not that I don’t want you to meet them, they’re my best friends, it’s just sometimes they can be a little much. I don’t want them to scare you away.”

“If seeing you on laundry day every week for the past year didn’t scare me away they won’t either.” Steve grinned as he said it and Bucky shot him a smirk as he shoved his clothes in the dryer then put his quarters in and turned it on.

“I’ll have you know that I look fantastic on laundry day. I’ve seen you watching me.”

“True. Do you always save your tightest jeans for laundry day?”

“Since I saw you, yeah. Except for the pair I wore on our first date. I was hoping you’d make a move, but you never did.”

“On our date?”

“No, here.”

“Oh. Well, you didn’t make a move either.”

***

“I wanna go!” Angel flopped over like she was dying, moaning and groaning and her father only rolled his eyes then sat her back up. She fell backward against the cushions again and he sighed and sat next to her.

“Not tonight, baby. Daddy’s going out with Bucky to meet his friends and you’re too little to go.”

“I wanna meet Buppy.”

“Not tonight.” Steve wasn’t ready to share her with Bucky yet. There was still too much he needed to tell. Too many things they needed to go over. He cared about Bucky and knew the brunette cared about him, but he was still paranoid about Angel getting attached to Bucky and then his and Buck’s relationship not working out.

“When?”

“Soon.” As soon as he could get over the paranoia. He wouldn’t be able to stand it if Angel got attached and then he and Bucky broke up. How would that affect Angel? She’d only ever had Steve for a parent but what would happen if Bucky was around long enough to potentially become a parent? What if their relationship lasted long enough for that to happen and then failed catastrophically? How would he be able to deal with Angel losing another parent? He would manage, he would have to, but he didn’t know how.

“When?”

“Soon, Angel. I don’t know when for sure, but you’ll meet him sooner or later.”

“Am I ever going to meet him?” Steve sighed looking up at his mother as she walked into the room. “You’re enraptured by him and I’ve never met him.”

“Soon,” he repeated. “I need time, all right? A little bit longer.”

“Steve, you don’t know what’s going to happen, baby. You can’t keep trying to talk yourself out of a relationship with him before you’ve even started one.”

“We’ve started one. I just need more time. Don’t rush me.” Steve picked up Angel and held her tightly, sighing when she wrapped her arms around his neck just as tightly. “I couldn’t stand it if something happened.”

“That doesn’t mean it will.”

“I know. I know.”

“You’re still spending the night with him?”

“Um . . . I actually planned on ducking out of that.”

“Steve.”

“We’ll see, okay? I already told him I didn’t know for sure if I’d be able to. He understands.”

***

“You’re sure he’s coming?”

“He said he’s gonna be here, Clint.” Bucky turned away from the door he’d been staring at since they had walked into the bar. Steve was only a few minutes late but he wasn’t worried that he wouldn’t show. They’d talked not that long before Bucky, Sam, and Clint had left the bar and Steve had said he was getting everything at home situated since he was probably going to be spending the night at Bucky’s.

That was if everything went well and Bucky hoped it did, not because he wanted to get Steve into bed, well not wholly because of that, but because Sam and Clint were a big part of Bucky’s life and he wanted them to get along with Steve. He wanted them all to be friends. He wanted to know what Sam and Clint thought of Steve and he wanted to know what Steve thought of them. Hopefully they wouldn’t tease him too much. Though he was pretty sure the blonde could give just as good as he got.

“There’s lover boy.” Sam nudged Bucky and the brunette stood and started fussing with his clothes and pushing his bangs back behind his ears from where small locks had fallen out of the bun he pretty much always kept his hair in.

Steve was still standing in the doorway, blinking into the dim bar and Bucky raised a hand in a small wave. The tiny blonde grinned as he saw him and practically ran to him, not looking anywhere but Bucky.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” Steve stood on tiptoe and gave Bucky a gentle kiss, his arms wrapped around Bucky’s neck. Bucky’s hands slid to Steve’s hips as he deepened the kiss and he yelped when Clint pinched his arm.

“What?”

“You going to introduce us or make us sit here and watch you make out with him all night?”

Steve laughed against Bucky’s lips then let go of his boyfriend and turned to Sam and Clint. “Hey.”

“It’s nice to finally meet the guy Bucky’s been doing his laundry at the laundromat for instead of at home.” Sam smiled as he said it and Bucky visibly paled.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Bucky bit back a groan at the shocked look on Steve’s face.

“What?”

“I . . . I can explain,” he phrased it like a question and Steve bit his bottom lip.

What the hell was Bucky doing? He had a washer and dryer at home? What the fuck? Steve was trying not to panic, he didn’t really have a reason to as of yet, but why the shit was Bucky using the laundromat if he had a washer and dryer at home? And what did Sam mean that Bucky was doing it for him?

“Buck?”

The brunette sat back down at the table and picked up his beer bottle, downing it in one long pull. He cleared his throat as he sat the amber colored glass on the table. “Will you sit please?” He waited until the stunned blonde was sitting then cleared his throat again. “I guess I should fess up huh?”

“I think that would be good.”

“You want a beer first? I need another beer.” Bucky started to stand only to be pulled back down by an unexpectedly strong tug of Steve’s hand on his arm.

“Sit.”

“Yessir.” Bucky’s quick reply to the order, because that was definitely what it was, came automatically.

“Explain.”

“Um . . . I have a washer and dryer at my apartment.” Bucky picked at the over lapping metal plates of his fingers as he spoke. “I just . . . I was walking and I happened to look in the window at the laundromat and I saw you. You were so gorgeous and I dunno. I just I had to see you again. I went back and took my laundry with me just in case and you were there again and you were so I kept going back. It’s creepy and weird. I know. I’ll totally understand if you don’t want to see me anymore.” _God I’m an idiot._ “I’m sorry, Stevie.”

Steve nodded slowly and bit back a small smile when Bucky visibly deflated and almost seemed to cringe in wait for whatever punishment he thought Steve might mete out. Not that he was going to. It was nice, if a bit weird, to know that at least he wasn’t the only one being a slightly creepy stalker. He didn’t know which was worse; Bucky doing his laundry at the laundromat so he could see Steve every week or Steve sketching numerous pictures of Bucky when the brunette wasn’t looking. They kind of fell on the same level of slightly creepy, but still kind of romantic. And was that as pathetic as Steve thought it was?

Bucky looked utterly pitiful and Steve decided he couldn’t leave his boyfriend hanging any longer.

“Well, I think I’ve got you beat on the Creepy and Weird Meter by the number of half-finished sketches of you I’ve got in my sketch books.”

“It’s about fucking time!” Sam and Clint high-fived each other over the table.

“Dude, I’m so damn glad you guys have this out in the open now and we’ve gotten to meet you because if we had to hear about Hot Nerdy Twink one more time we were gonna scream and possibly kill your boy.” Sam grinned as he said it.

Steve blushed and Bucky groaned at what was becoming an odd sort of endearment. The blonde still hadn’t told his boyfriend about Hot Messy Bun Guy. He’d die first. And if he didn’t somehow die before Bucky ever found out he would die of embarrassment if he did find out.

They all sat at the table after shaking hands and Steve mentioned to Sam that they’d gone to the same school. Sam’s expression turned thoughtful before he laughed. “You’re the one that was always in the nurse’s office with a bloody nose!”

“I wasn’t always,” Steve mumbled. “Besides you were there too.”

“I had football injuries. You had a condition that didn’t allow you to keep your mouth shut until someone busted it.”

“At least I didn’t make an embarrassing pass at the principal’s wife right in front of him.”

“Hey now,” Sam laughed, dark skin flushing with embarrassment. “That’s not cool.”

“High School stories, tell me!” Clint leaned across the table then laughed when Sam socked him on the shoulder and pushed him away.

“I could tell Sam about the fumbling pass you made at Natasha in your jewelry store.” Steve raised a brow at Clint and Clint flushed.

“That’s so not cool.”

“Clint tripped all over himself trying to ask Natasha out on a date, but he couldn’t get the words out and finally pretended that someone had called for him and walked away.”

Sam practically cackled and Bucky only watched the friendly ribbing with an amused smile. It seemed like Steve would get along his friends well enough. He waved the waitress down and ordered a round of beers and shots of whiskey. None of the other three people at the table seemed to notice as they squabbled good-naturedly.

It wasn’t until the beer and shots came that the three settled down. Steve scooted his chair closer to Bucky’s and snuggled against him like he always did. Bucky wrapped an arm around his shoulders and held him tightly.

“Hey, I’m sorry about Nat.”

Steve gave Clint a weak smile and nod. “Thank you. I should’ve . . . I probably should have told you, but I was lost. I didn’t really deal with it well and things could have gone better, but I still should have let you know.”

“It’s all right, Steve. You had other things on your mind. Bucky keeps going on and on about your daughter.”

What? He did? Why? What did he say? Steve didn’t ask any of that out loud and laughed when Bucky let go of him to hide his face in his hands. “He does?”

“Says she’s the cutest thing he’s ever seen. He squealed like a little girl when you sent the picture of you and her together before bed. Kept going on about her unicorn jammies.”

“I did not squeal like a little girl!”

“You did. It was sad yet adorable. Mostly sad though.” Sam grinned then winced when Bucky punched his shoulder.

“She’s a cute kid, Steve.”

“Thank you.”

“Bucky loves kids,” Clint added with a grin. “You should see him with his sister’s kids.”

“He talks about them just as much as I talk about Angel.”

“You guys are annoyingly perfect for each other. You realize that don’t you?” Clint wrinkled his nose and Sam laughed when Bucky and Steve both rolled their eyes.

It had only been a few weeks that they’d been actively talking and awkwardly dating. Steve had insisted on taking things slow which he was now getting annoyed with because he wanted Bucky on so many levels, but was scared to get too close too fast. Bucky agreed with him on taking things slow. Bucky’s last relationship had been hell and Steve hadn’t had one in over four years. So yeah, the taking it slow thing was working. It didn’t mean it wasn’t annoying.

They both thought the other was perfect or as close as they could tell right now, but they wouldn’t say it out loud. Bucky was cocky enough as it was without giving him more reasons to be cocky and Steve would only blush and stammer. He wanted Steve’s blushes to be private between them and he knew the more Steve got used to Bucky the less he would blush and stammer so Bucky was saving it for a special occasion. He did think his tiny blonde boyfriend was just about perfect though and he would continue to think of ways to make him blush.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date night continued. Also some douche bag hitting on Bucky and callin' his Stevie a twink and meaning it badly. The dude gets taken care of, don't worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so freaking sorry for not updating sooner. My laptop has been in the shop four times since the last update and it's still not fixed. grr. Can anyone recommend a laptop that's not an hp, won't be a piece of crap, and/or cost me an arm and a leg?
> 
> I normally leave personal stuff out of this, aside from bitching about life kicking my ass, but my sister spent the rest of August and most of September after the last update in the hospital trying to deliver my nephew at 24 weeks. Everything's fine now, mom and baby are both ok, but it hit rather close to this story, pieces of it that I had written for later on and it put me off of this for a bit besides my laptop being a piece of crap. 
> 
> I'm working on it, I promise, it's just a bit more difficult for me than it was previous.

Steve sat quietly as Sam and Clint argued over which of the Super Mario games was better. Clint opted for Super Mario World 3 and Sam insisted the original was best. Bucky liked all of them but loved Mario Kart on his Wii the most. Steve hadn't played any of them in years. He did have his old Super NES and games packed away in his closet though. Maybe he'd drag it out and hook it up to see if it still worked so he could play with Angel. She would probably like the old games. Maybe as much as he had when he'd been younger.

“You're being quiet.” Bucky bumped his shoulder and smiled down at him when he looked up at him.

“I'm just listening to them fight over video games.”

“This ain't nothing. You should see them playing Mario Kart.”

“That'd be fun,” Sam grinned.

“We can all hang out at Bucky's and play,” Clint added with a wicked grin.

“So nice of you to invite yourself over.” Bucky gave Sam and Clint a half-assed glare and they laughed.

“That would be nice, actually.” Steve grinned as he said it and Bucky sighed.

“Fine, but I'm warning you now, there are no friends or lovers in Mario Kart.”

Steve laughed and picked up his beer. “I wouldn't expect there to be.”

Bucky smiled then pouted when Sam and Clint both pretended to gag. “Do you want to dance? We should dance. Let's get away from these losers for a minute.” It was Sam and Clint's turn to pout and Steve shook his head wildly, half because he couldn’t dance for shit and didn’t want to embarrass himself and half because he had drank too much.

“I can’t. I don’t . . . I don’t know how.”

“You don’t dance?” Steve shook his head again and Bucky smiled softly then took his hand and dragged him up and away from their table. “I’ll teach you.”

“No! No, I can’t. I’m awful. I’ll step on your toes. I’ll knee you somewhere uncomfortable. I’ll break your leg or something. I’m too klutzy to dance.” Steve tried to plant his feet and only wound up being lifted off of them and practically carried to the small dance area. Why were people dancing at a bar anyway? Shouldn’t they be at a club?

“C’mon, you’ll be fine.”

Steve was seconds away from faking an asthma attack to get out of dancing but then Bucky turned to him with that gorgeous little smirk and Steve was done for. He was especially done for when a slow song started and Bucky laughed and rested his hands on Steve’s bony hips. His thumbs slid under Steve’s shirt and skimmed the waistband of his jeans. Steve fought to hide the rush of heat that flared to life at even that small bit of contact. It was as close as anyone had gotten to him since he had gotten his daughter and he was being utterly pathetic about it. Bucky hadn't even touched skin.

“Put your arms around my neck.”

“You’re too tall.”

“I am not.” He rolled his eyes at Steve when he pouted. His tiny boyfriend finally relented and draped his arms over Bucky’s shoulders and let his hands hang there not knowing what to do with them. “Follow my lead.”

“As long as it involves just standing here and swaying side to side like awkward teenagers at a school dance.” So technically the only dance he’d been to was one that Natasha and his mother had brought to him while he had been in the hospital with pneumonia, but he had heard enough from other people to know that school dances were awkward.

“I think we’ve been awkward with each other long enough, don’t you?” Bucky began swaying side to side and Steve nodded then looked down at their feet hoping he didn’t step on Bucky. “Don’t watch your feet.”

“When I step on you and break something don’t be mad at me.”

“Babe, you weigh like five pounds. I’m pretty sure it won’t hurt.” Steve jerked his head up and glared at the brunette then stomped his toe. Bucky yelped then laughed. “I deserved that.”

“Not really. I’m sorry. I’m touchy.”

“I noticed.” He spun the blonde in a quick circle in retribution and laughed when Steve closed his eyes and listed to the side. “Are you gonna puke on me?”

“I might.”

“Lightweight.”

“Enough with the jokes, I know I’m little.”

“I meant about the liquor, baby. Not you being little. 'Cause uh . . .” Bucky trailed his eyes down Steve's body to the excessively tight skinny jeans the blonde was wearing then lifted them to meet blue eyes with a smirk. "You're not little everywhere."

Steve blushed and stammered and Bucky laughed. "Jesus, Buck! You can't just say things like that!"

“When you wear clothes like that you're practically begging me to say it.” Bucky snickered as he said it and Steve glared then relented.

“Fine.” Steve pouted slightly as Bucky pulled him closer then bit back a moan when the brunette rolled his hips against him. “Buck?”

“Yeah?”

“I'm gonna kiss you.” Steve moved to stand on tiptoe and his boyfriend helped him stay steady on his feet when he started to sway then smiled against the blonde's lips when Steve finally pressed their lips together. Steve sighed then slid his tongue over the seam of Bucky's lips, pushing himself up further on his toes to taste the beer and whiskey on the brunette’s tongue when he parted them.

“Why don't you get with someone that you don't have to lift off of his feet to kiss?”

Bucky groaned and Steve dropped back to his heels and glared at the freakishly tall muscled guy that had obviously been speaking to Bucky. “Maybe he wants someone he can lift off the ground and fuck against a wall.” It was little more than a growl and Bucky nearly choked on his own spit. He'd never heard Steve speak like that before and wondered if it was because he was pissed off or because he'd been drinking or both. Probably it was both.

“I'm just saying why don't you ditch the twink and get with a real man? Someone that can show you a real good time.” The guy, totally drunk, but still inexcusable grabbed Bucky's prosthetic arm and tried to pull him away from Steve. Bucky jerked away from him and Steve slid between them.

“Hey, back off!” Steve got even further between his boyfriend and the asshole that was hassling him and the guy laughed.

“What are you gonna do about it?”

What wouldn’t Steve do? He’d been in enough fights. He was mostly sure of what he needed to do. If he was smart he’d let Bucky handle it, but no one ever accused him of being smart.

“Let it go, Steve. Come on, baby. He's not worth it.” Bucky had his hand on Steve’s shoulder trying to pull him away and Steve shrugged away from him and punched the guy in the nose with a satisfying crack and then tried to kick him in the nuts. The guy dodged it and swung at Steve missing the shorter man by inches. Steve kicked out again as Bucky lifted him off of his feet to get him away from the guy and the guy dropped to his knees and then fell over when the kick landed. It was just as well that he'd missed the first kick. This one was harder because he'd been pissed off that he had missed the first time. “Jesus, baby. Remind me to never piss you off.” Steve growled something Bucky couldn’t make out and the brunette carried him over to where Sam and Clint had been watching the fight with amusement.

“Damn, Steve. What’d he say?” Clint spoke first and slid another beer toward the short blonde.

“He told Buck . . .” Steve pulled away from his boyfriend and grabbed the beer off of the table, downing it before he and Buck inevitably got thrown out of the bar. “He told Buck to ‘ditch the twink and get with a real man’. Fucker.”

“You realize Bucky could have kicked his ass right?” Sam was staring at the guy who was still on the floor with a raised brow.

“Didn’t need him too.” Steve shrugged as he straightened his shirt.

“I didn’t mean that you needed him to, Steve. Bucky would’ve done it on his own anyway.”

“Oh.” Steve looked sheepish now and Bucky smiled own at him then lifted Steve’s hand to look at his bruised and slightly bleeding knuckles.

“My hero.” Steve blushed and Bucky dipped a napkin in his neglected shot of whiskey and dabbed the blood off of Steve’s knuckles then kissed the reddened skin. “Better?”

“Yeah. Thanks, baby.”

***

After the fight Steve had finished and surprisingly not getting thrown out of the bar Steve and Bucky had drank a few more beers with Clint and Sam and only when Steve began to slur his speech and sway in his chair even while snuggling against Bucky did the brunette even realize how drunk Steve had gotten. It didn't even seem like he had drank that much. They said their goodbyes with plans to meet up with Sam and Clint again later and Bucky had started half-dragging half-carrying Steve toward his apartment.

"I gotta go home, Buck. It's late. Angel's waitin' on me."

"You're drunk and you're spending the night with me anyway."

"Oh, yeah. You think she's okay?"

“I'm sure she is baby, your ma would've called if she wasn't.”

“Oh. Still, you think I should call?”

“No, Stevie. It's the middle of the night. I'm sure they're sleeping. Let's go home.”

“'kay.”

Bucky struggled not to laugh as he practically carried Steve up the steps and down the hall to his apartment. The blonde was clinging precariously to him as they stumbled and fought their way down the hall. When they reached the apartment Steve found himself pinned up against the wall with a knee against his hip as the door was unlocked. Bucky tried not let Steve fall to the floor. He was pretty drunk himself, not nearly as drunk as Steve, but he didn't think he'd be able to pick him up if he fell and he would've been ashamed if they had had to crawl inside the apartment. It wouldn't be the first time Bucky had literally crawled home after drinking, but he didn't do that anymore.

The first six months after he'd lost his arm had been spent in a drunken stupor he could barely remember. Clint, Sam, and his own sister remembered it well enough. He didn't want to put any of them through that again. He sure as hell didn't want Steve to see it, even if neither of them would probably remember it in the morning.

The brunette finally got his door open and dragged Steve to the couch and sat him down then went to the kitchen and grabbed a Gatorade from the fridge and carried it back to the blonde and sat next to him.

“Buck.”

“Shh. Drink this.”

“Don' wanna.”

Bucky opened the bottle and held it to Steve's lips, pressing until he opened his mouth and took a sip. “I think I'm gonna be sick.”

“No you're not.” Bucky made him take another sip then sat the bottle aside. The blonde was drunk off of his tiny, perfect ass and Bucky raised a brow when those long fingered hands slid over his prosthetic as if searching for something. "What is it, Stevie?”

“Does your arm have a vibrate function? It should totally have a vibrate function. You need to have Stark make you one. ‘Cause I bet that would be totally hot and feel so fucking good.”

Bucky laughed quietly then shook his head. “You’re such a punk.”

“I’m for serious! I would so let you do things to me with it. I mean, I would anyways, but if it vibrated . . .”

“Jesus, you’re drunk.” Bucky tried to wiggle loose from him but Steve only clung tighter.

“It’d be so cool, baby.”

“Go to sleep, Stevie.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“It’s late and you’re drunk.” He wiggled again and Steve shook his head.

“I wanna fuck you.” Both of their eyes widened for a fraction of a second before Steve slid one hand to Bucky's shirt and started trying to pull it up. For some reason he was pretty sure he'd die if he didn't get the brunette naked. Like two days ago.

“Not tonight.”

“Why?” Bucky tried not to laugh at the petulant tone of Steve’s voice then sighed.

“Because you’re drunk. I’m not going to take advantage. It’d be our first time and I don’t want it to happen like this.”

“You have my permission.”

“Your consent is dubious at best.”

“No it’s not.”

“Shut up, punk.” Bucky wrapped his arms around Steve and pulled him close figuring the only way he'd get out of his tiny boyfriend's grip was if he fell asleep. Steve called him a jerk even while snuggling closer to him and rested his head against his shoulder.

Bucky waited until his boyfriend’s breathing was evened out then carried him into the bedroom and laid him on the bed. He took Steve’s shoes and jacket off of him then covered him with the blanket and pulled his glasses off to put on the nightstand. God but he was gorgeous. His eyelashes cast long shadows on his cheeks and Bucky smiled then leaned down and gave him a gentle kiss.

“Goodnight, baby.”

Bucky smiled one last time then walked out of the room and grabbed a blanket from the hall closet. Looked like he was sleeping on the couch tonight. He would have slept easier if Steve’s suggestion for a vibrate setting on his arm was less of a good idea. God forbid Stark ever think about it or be given the idea though. He'd install a vibrating feature without telling Bucky and it'd go off at random and scare the shit out of people.

***

Steve woke up with a groan when he felt the bed shift. He cracked open an eye and winced at the sandpaper feel of it, the probably not very bright but still blinding light, and the headache beginning to pound at his temples. Bucky was sitting next to him holding a cup of coffee in his hand with a gentle smile.

“Morning, sunshine.”

“Screw sunshine. God. Why’d ya let me drink so much?”

“I didn’t realize it would only take you six shots and four beers to get you wasted.”

“I drank way more than that and that’s like half my body weight and it was really strong.” Steve smiled as he said it and Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Shush. I made coffee.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Steve sat up and reached for the mug of coffee and Buck pulled it out of his reach.

“This? You think this is for you?” Bucky waited until Steve blushed and began to stammer out an apology then grinned. “And you’d be absolutely right.”

“Jerk.” Steve took the offered cup of coffee, fingers brushing over the cool metal of Bucky’s hand, and gasped in mortification when his memory of the night before returned full force. “Oh God. Please tell me I dreamed asking you if your arm had a vibrate function and telling you I’d let you do things to me with it if it did.”

“Sorry, babe.” Bucky laughed wholeheartedly and Steve whimpered.

“And I begged you for sex?”

“That too. Though I believe your exact words were ‘I wanna fuck you’ but you know, whatever.” He grinned and shrugged while Steve turned crimson.

“I am so sorry, Buck. Please forgive me.”

“It’s all right, Stevie. It was kinda cute.”

“Bucky.” He was fucking mortified. He had never thrown himself at anyone like that before and he sure as hell hadn't gotten that drunk on a date before either.

“It was. You’re a cute drunk.”

“You think I’m cute no matter what I do.”

Bucky’s expression turned thoughtful for a moment and he nodded. “True.” He gave Steve a quick kiss then stood. “You can take a shower while I’m finishing breakfast. There’s fresh towels in the cabinet next to the tub.”

“Thanks.”

Bucky grinned. “You’re welcome.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to have another chapter up around this time next week. Provided my sister doesn't have the baby. Barring that, I should have another chapter next week.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly from Steve's POV. He's thinking too much. And a tiny bit from Sarah's POV. Next chapter will be from Bucky's. Most likely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the long wait. My sister had my nephew the same day I posted the last chapter, six weeks early, and he spent several weeks in NICU. He's home now and doing well, but I had to rearrange this story because there is another chapter than involves Natasha and some of it hit too close to home for me to work on it.

Steve walked into the kitchen carrying the cup of coffee in one hand and drying his hair with the towel in the other. Bucky was pulling pieces of toast from the toaster with one hand and holding his cell to his ear with the other. Steve couldn't hear what he was saying because his good ear was covered by the noise of the towel on his hair, but whatever the conversation was Bucky didn't look particularly happy about it. Steve backed out of the kitchen and took the towel back to the bathroom and hid there for a few minutes before trying again. He didn't want Buck to think he'd been eavesdropping.

Bucky was just hanging up the phone this time and turned to Steve with a weak smile. "Becca."

"Oh. She harassing you again?"

"Only because I haven't taken you to meet her yet. She thinks I'm ashamed of you and doesn't realize it's her I'm ashamed of."

"Buck." Steve gave him a slight glare and the brunette laughed.

"Not like that, baby. She's being over protective of me. Has been since I got home. She thinks I'm a lot more damaged than what I really am. She still sees me in the hospital with tubes stuck in every available orifice. Like I'm not better than I was. She can be overbearing with it."

"She's just worried for her big brother."

"Yeah, _big_ brother. Means I'm supposed to worry about her, not the other way around."

"She's family. You're supposed to worry about each other. Especially since you're the only family you two have left except for her kids."

"I know, Stevie. Sit down and eat your breakfast before it gets cold." He gave the blonde a weak smile then turned to load a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast. "I didn't salt your eggs."

"Bucky."

"You're not supposed to have salt and the bacon's salty enough. Don't want to run your blood pressure up. You ain't got your pills." He sat the plate on the table in front of his irritated boyfriend then fixed his own plate and sat across from him. "Anyway, Becca wants to know if you can come over for dinner tonight. I told her I'd ask, but I was pretty sure you'd want to stay home with Angel because you were gone from her last night."

"I do wanna meet her, Buck."

"I know, but Angel has missed you enough for a little while I think."

"You mean  _ I've _ missed her." Bucky shrugged one shoulder then bit into his toast. "Is there another day we could go?"

"I don't know, I'll have to call her later and ask what her schedule is. Then you'll have to check yours at work tomorrow and we'll have to compare dates."

"Yeah. We'll pick a date." He gave his boyfriend a reassuring smile that he didn't feel. He wasn't sure he was ready to meet Becca and what the hell would happen if she was so over protective of Bucky that she didn't like Steve no matter what he did? How would he prove himself to her? Could he? Would Bucky even let him try or would he whisk him away before he could get the chance to show Becca who he was?

And what would he do if Bucky decided he wanted to meet Angel afterward? Steve wasn't exactly ready to let him into that piece of his life yet. Didn't know if he would be anytime soon. He felt bad about hiding that part of himself from his boyfriend, but he couldn't bear the thought of Angel getting attached and then he and Bucky not working out. He knew he would have to if he wanted their relationship to progress, but for now he couldn't bring himself to do it. Besides, they were just getting started. He had time for that later.

***

It took another month for Steve and Becca's schedules to sync back up. In that time Bucky and Steve had been on three more dates including a sleepover that wound up with them making out heavily on Bucky's couch instead of watching the movie they'd picked out. When Steve had tried to get into his boyfriend's pants Bucky had held him back long enough to get to the bedroom where they had only wound up grinding against each other like horny teenagers before Steve had an asthma attack that sent Bucky into an over protective panic and a mad scramble to find the blonde's inhaler. 

Steve had just about died from embarrassment and glared the entire time when Bucky found the inhaler, shook it, and shoved it between his lips before he could try to find it himself. Steve breathed in the nasty tasting albuterol, at least it didn't taste like rubber bands like it had when he'd been a kid, and held his breath with it as long as he was able before taking the next puff. He had sat on the bed with his shirt off and jeans undone while Bucky knelt in front of him with his hands on Steve's knees, drawing calming circles with this thumbs. It wasn't exactly the way he had pictured their first time. It sure as hell wasn't the way he pictured Bucky on his knees between his legs. And nothing had happened after that but Bucky stripping him down to his boxers and then tucking him into bed before stripping down to his own and climbing in next to him. Steve didn't even get a chance to ogle him.

"Scared me, Stevie." Bucky murmured against his hair after tucking the blonde's head under his chin. Steve sighed giving in and wrapping himself tightly around his boyfriend.

"Sorry."

"S'ok. Go to sleep, baby."

After that Bucky hadn't tried very hard to get into Steve's pants, still worried and scared of another asthma attack, and Steve tried harder to get into Bucky's. So far it hadn't worked aside from Steve's messy attempt at a hand job in a bathroom stall at the bar they went to. Steve was still slightly embarrassed by it, how easily they could have been caught. How for some reason when he got drunk he turned into a horny slut. Of course being practically celibate for the past four years probably had something to do with it. Bucky just thought it was cute and refused to take Steve seriously which was a good thing. When they were both sober Bucky avoided anything he thought might trigger Steve's asthma so they didn't get to do much more than make out and cuddle on the couch.

The evening of the dinner at Becca's place Bucky came to pick Steve up again. He'd shown up wearing a pair of baggy jeans and a tight navy Henley with the top two buttons undone and his hair down in waves, bangs curling against his jaw. Steve had almost swallowed his tongue and barely kept from staring at his boyfriend all the way to Becca's house. Buck knew how he felt about him leaving his hair down. It made it too easy to tangle his fingers in and pull him down for a kiss that left him wanting more.

“Something wrong, Stevie?”

“Huh? Oh, no. You look good, Buck.” Bucky had laughed and Steve had turned away from him to stare out the window pretending that his gaze didn't turn to Bucky's reflection in the glass. If Bucky's plan had been to distract him from being nervous about meeting Becca and the kids it had worked. At least until he'd parked his car and got out to open Steve's door. He'd pulled him from the car and hugged him tightly for a minute then then took his hand and led him into the building and up a flight of stairs.

Bucky gave him a reassuring smile then a gentle kiss and knocked on the apartment door with the hand that Steve wasn't holding tightly. “You'll be fine, Stevie. They'll love you.”

And they had. At least the kids had. The four and six year olds seemed to think he was just a slightly taller kid at first. Until their Uncle Bucky had introduced him as his boyfriend. The stink eye that Becca had given Steve made him positive that he was going to get the shovel talk from her like he had from Sam and Clint even if they hadn't done it in front of Buck. So Steve had been a bit wary around Becca while trying not to show Bucky and it was only after Bucky had excused himself to the restroom that his little sister had cornered Steve in the kitchen were they had been helping her cook.

She had actually asked his intentions toward her brother and at first Steve had thought she'd been joking, but he was the only one laughing. He told her that he cared about Bucky a great deal and while they hadn't actually mapped out their future with each other they were in a good place in their relationship and he hoped they might be more one day. She'd given him a look that he thought meant she didn't believe him but she finally nodded with a grin and allowed him to relax. After that things had been fine and when Bucky walked back into the kitchen and pressed a kiss to the top of Steve's head on the way past him Becca had given him a sly wink and smile.

The dinner at Becca's had brought up meeting Angel and Steve had steered it back away from it even while watching Bucky play with his niece and nephew. They were absolutely adorable and Bucky hinted at playdates between them and Angel.

Bucky had been hinting at and one time flat out asked about meeting the three year old but Steve always begged off on it, telling his boyfriend that he just wasn't ready yet. That he didn't know how Angel would react or any of what had felt like a dozen other excuses he'd come up with to get out of introducing his boyfriend to his daughter. He was scared shitless and didn't know how to tell Bucky that he was. He knew Bucky could tell that something was off but the brunette seemed content to wait until he was ready to talk about it. Or if not content then extremely patient about it. Steve was certain that one more refusal would be enough to break them up even though Bucky hadn't given him a reason to think so. 

Bucky told him to take the time he needed, that he wasn't going anywhere. They hadn't made plans for their relationship, hadn't put into words how they felt about each other. Steve flatly refused to admit that he was falling for Bucky and that made it even harder to imagine a future that involved both of them and Angel. It had gotten to the point that it was beginning to haunt his dreams and make him think he was being a little bit crazy. None of that even brought Bucky meeting Steve's mother in to the equation. He hadn't told Bucky how afraid he was. Bucky still seemed to notice and took every opportunity to reassure his tiny boyfriend.

His mother had noticed. Of course she had. Every time he came home from a date or spending the night at Bucky's she could see how terrified he was. He couldn't put it into words to explain things to her, but she could see it. She could see how scared, how much in love he was with Bucky already, could see how much it would mean to him if Angel got to meet Bucky and liked him. How great things would be if Steve and Buck lasted. Angel could have two fathers who loved her immensely. There were a lot of 'ifs' where Steve and Bucky were concerned and Sarah hadn't even met the man her son was so in love with. 

Right now her son was laying on the couch with his face pressed into the cushions where he'd flopped down after getting in from work. Angel was sat on his back trying to braid the longer, but still too short, strands of his hair. So far she'd just managed to give him a few tangles and fluff up his hair. Either way she was having fun while he moaned and groaned into the cushions while his mother laughed at his distress.

“You're not helping, Ma.” 

“When will I meet him?”

“I don't know!” He rolled over, grabbing Angel as he did, and laid on his back smiling up at the tiny redhead that sat on his stomach and grinned down at him.

“Steven Grant Rogers, you have to let him in at some point. I don't mean sleeping with him, you've got to talk to him.”

“Mother! I'm not . . . he and I have not . . . Not in front of Angel.”

“She hasn't a clue what I'm talking about.”

“Doesn't matter. It's not happening either way.”

“Why not?”

“I'm not talking about this with you right now. Probably not ever.” He glared at her when she grinned at his blush and Angel leaned forward and booped him on the nose then giggled and climbed across him to slide off of the couch to the floor.

“Cookies!”

“Apples!” Steve said it with the same excited tone his daughter had and she pouted at him.

“Gwamma wets me eat cookies.”

“I'm not gwamma and you probably had enough cookies today.”

“Aww.” She pouted at him, bottom lip jutted out and brows furrowed as she glared. Her pout was all him and her eyes were all Natasha.

“No. You can eat an apple.”

“Pwease?”

“No, Angelina. Eat an apple. I'll cut it up for you.”

She sighed heavily but let him pick her up and carry her to the kitchen. He knew his mother was right, but how the hell was he supposed to let Bucky in? He hadn't thought that far ahead when they had first started dating and now he was terrified. If it hadn't been already been a couple months he'd have thought they were moving way too fast. Sometimes he still did. He didn't know what the hell to do. He just hoped that Bucky would still be around when he finally figured it out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments help me write faster. XD


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update was long and busy and there's a lot going on so I split it into two chapters. It's still kind of long. I will hopefully post the next chapter in a day or two. Got some final tweaking to do and then we'll have some marshmallow-like fluffiness.

Bucky finished folding the load of towels he hadn't taken to the laundromat and sat them on top of the dryer to put away later. He was tired of messing with it right now. He still had a dozen other things to do. Or at least it felt like it. He scratched at his shoulder as he walked through to the living room and began picking up what little mess he'd accumulated over the past week or so. The coffee table was covered with beer and soda cans, a pizza box, and some notes for his next appointment with Stark in a few weeks.

He was having some slight overheating issues with his arm and a weird pinching around the joints of the plates at his shoulder. Hopefully it would be an easy fix without having to remove the arm this time. He always hated that shit. The few hours of sitting there feeling completely off balance as he tried to adjust to the sudden loss of weight on his left side. The weird tingles and the sharp jolt as the arm came online. The calibration and running through a series of movements to make sure the arm was behaving properly.

When he finished cleaning off the coffee table he vacuumed while blaring some Volbeat in his ears from his earbuds that were plugged into his phone. He couldn't stand the sound or loudness of the vacuum and always tried to drown it out. He didn't do well with a lot of loud noises nowadays anyway. Music and the small bar they went to he could handle, but not much else lately.

He ordered some pizzas to be delivered in an hour or so and sent Sam and Clint texts asking them to bring beer and Sam's Super Nintendo just in case they wanted to play Super Mario World since they had talked about it before. Bucky seriously didn't understand why they just didn't give in and start dating already. Sure they appeared straight as could be but Sam and Clint's bromance was a little more hardcore than usual. Bucky was pretty sure they lived together now and just hadn't said anything to him because he'd have to say I told you so. He snorted at that then sent Steve a text telling him to come over whenever he got ready.

Sam and Clint showed up before Steve did and Bucky knew Steve waited until the last minute to do anything because of Angel. He didn't blame him. Honestly he didn't. Sam and Clint seemed to think he did though. Or if he didn't then he would at some point. 

Clint and Sam walked in without knocking and Bucky jolted until he realized it was them. Sam was carrying the beer and Clint had the Nintendo. Hopefully he wouldn't drop it but Bucky was pretty sure that Sam was carrying the beer because he was afraid Clint would drop it again and they would wind up mopping up a couple twelve packs instead of being able to drink them.

“Pizzas should be here in a few.”

“I thought you were going to cook,” Clint pouted as he sat the Nintendo on the floor in front of the TV. “You make that awesome weird pasta stuff.”

“It's spaghetti with a roasted cherry tomatoes sauce and fetta. It's not weird.”

“I said it was good. It's got vinegar or something in it.”

“Red wine vinegar and it's not weird.” Bucky almost growled it and Clint laughed then flopped down onto the couch while Sam rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen to put the beer up. Bucky flopped down on the other end of the couch leaving the spot in the middle for Sam so he could mediate until Steve showed up. He loved Clint to pieces but he could get on his nerves faster than anyone else. 

“Where's Short Stop?”

Bucky glared at the archer. “Don't call him that to his face, he'll break you.”

“Okay, but where is he?”

“On his way and forgot to text me, I hope.”

“He'll be here. He always shows up,” Sam told the two on the couch as he walked to the TV and wondered if the Nintendo would even work on the HD. He had an ancient TV at his place where he kept the Super Nintendo hooked up so he could play it if he wanted, but hadn't actually tried hooking it up to the HD TV before. He knew a VCR wouldn't work on it. He had tried when he found his old VCR in the back of his closet with a box of video cassette tapes. 

He hummed then started poking around the TV and hoped it would work just like it did on an old TV. He screwed around unhooking cables and wires and hooking them up in different spots. He hadn't the faintest idea what he was doing, but when he switched the TV over to input, flipped a switch on a converter box that Bucky didn't even need hooked up to his TV but did for some reason, and turned on the Super NES, it actually worked. 

He celebrated by dancing around like a maniac then plugged in the multi-adapter to hook up four controllers instead of two for another game he had brought, the extensions for the cables so they could reach the couch and wouldn't have to sit in the floor, and Sam's favorite controller of all time, the asciiPad turbo controller with it's little switches that he loved so much because let's face it; unless you were inhumanly fast some of those cheat codes were damn near impossible without that controller. So technically he didn't need it if they were playing Super Mario games but he still used it. He had also brought Mario Paint and the mouse that went with it just in case because Steve was artsy and Sam wanted to see what he could do in the game.

“Did you bring Earthbound,” Bucky asked when Sam sat the controllers on the coffee table, trying not to get them tangled up.

“That game is in a safe in my closet. It's only single player anyway.”

“Why is it in a safe?” Bucky knew why Sam kept the video game in a safe, he just liked bugging him about it because it was just a video game, but Sam pretty much worshiped the thing. Sam glared at him while Clint laughed.

“Because I still have the box and the players guide and it's in perfect condition. It's the only one of the Mother games to get released in the US and it's worth an arm and a leg. So shut your face.” Sam marched out of the living room and into the kitchen while the two on the couch laughed at him then came back with three beers.

“You're an asshole.”

“Thank you.” The brunette grinned at him as he started to crack open his beer and wound up sputtering when foam and spray from the can covered him from head to toe. Clint and Sam were cackling and Bucky was pretty sure he looked like a drowned rat. “I hate you.” He only glared at them and lifted the near empty can to his lips and finished it off then stood and walked out of the living room. “Steve's gonna be here any minute!” Sam and Clint only laughed louder when he yelled at them and he looked up to see that they hadn't laughed louder, but were standing in the doorway watching him rifle through his closet looking for dry clothes that wouldn't make him look like more of a bum than he already did.

“You're assholes.”

“You gotta admit it's funny, man.”

He flipped them off instead of answering and grabbed the navy Henley he'd worn to his sister's when he'd taken Steve to meet her and her kids and a pair of baggy jeans that barely stayed on. He grabbed the still damp towel from his shower earlier and dried his hair as best as he could with it then stripped out of his soppy clothes and pulled on a dry pair of boxers and jeans then sat on the bed and started trying to dry his arm. “Steve's gonna beat your asses for being mean to me.” They only snorted and he laughed imagining his tiny boyfriend handing them their asses. Probably Steve would only laugh at him too because he was a geek, but maybe he would defend his honor. 

“You met his kid yet,” Clint asked quietly. He knew it was kind of a touchy subject. Bucky shook his head.

“You know I haven't. I'd have texted you guys. He's . . . we're taking our time. He's nervous about it.”

“You've been dating a couple months now, isn't that long enough to wait?”

“I don't know, Barton. Just leave it alone for right now. I want to meet her and he knows that, but he's scared shitless. I see it in his eyes every time he mentions her now. The guilt he feels because he hasn't introduced me to her. He just needs more time and I've got to be patient. I'm being patient.”

“Two months doesn't seem like that long, Bucky, but when you spend as much time together as you two do, it's time.”

“We don't really spend that much time together, Sam. A couple dates a week, laundry. He spends the night once in while. That's it.”

“I know you, James. You won't mean to but one day you're going to start resenting the fact that he won't let you in and you're going to get into a fight with him and break up over it. It's not just his daughter is it? It's his mom, it's every piece of his life that could mean something to not only him, but you as well, and he's not letting you in.”

“Don't be my therapist right now. I don't need relationship counseling. It's only been a couple months. Just let it go, guys. For tonight, please. I don't want him feeling pressured so don't say anything about it.”

A knock on the door saved him from further conversation. He'd never been so grateful in his life. “Not a fucking word to him about it. I mean it.” They both nodded and he sighed, scratching at his shoulder again as he walked to the door, having completely forgotten to put his shirt on.

***

Steve wanted to go back home and go to bed. His mother was watching Angel yet again. He worried even if she didn't. So in theory he could go home and take a nap until his mother went home. Instead he was standing at his boyfriend's door with a twelve pack of Coke that felt like it weighed more than he did or maybe he was projecting his 'bleh' attitude on it, and he wanted nothing more than to go home and go to bed so he didn't have to deal with what he was sure was Bucky's disappointment in him. He should be thrilled to be hanging out with his boyfriend and Sam and Clint. Instead he only felt dread because of his guilt for not letting Bucky in. Not letting him meet Angel or telling him about Natasha or even really letting Bucky be a part of his life and not just someone who he hung out with on occasion which was how he was treating him even though they were supposed to be official now and had been pretty much since the first date anyway.

“I'm a fucking asshole.” Instead of turning around and going home like he really wanted to he knocked on the door and waited for his boyfriend to answer. He could walk right in, Buck had told him he didn't need to knock, but it still felt rude to just walk in like he owned the place. Maybe when they were in a better place in their relationship. 

He was woefully unprepared for when Bucky answered the door with his hair soaking wet and dripping around his shoulders, smelling of beer, and with no shirt. He blinked slowly, silently thanking whoever had spilled beer on his boyfriend, and felt a flush of arousal when a drop of what he was certain was beer slid down Bucky's collar bone, over his peck, and stopped to rest on his nipple. Another slid down his chest and abs to his belly button and Steve was pretty sure his pupils were blown and he was definitely sure he would never be able to drink a beer again without this vision of Bucky in his head. 

“Stevie?”

“Huh?”

“You okay?”

The blonde shook his head then nodded and stepped closer to his boyfriend. He sat the case of Coke down on the floor then stood on it and kissed Bucky hello, tangling his fingers in his wet hair and breathing in the scent of beer and Bucky's soap and shampoo. Buck smiled against his lips, probably laughing about him standing on the case of sodas then wrapped his arms around him tightly, kissing him back with just as much fervor.

Only when Sam and Clint started wolf whistling did they take a break, both of them panting against each others lips. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“Why don't you always answer the door with your shirt off?” Bucky laughed then lifted Steve off of the case of pop and turned to sit him inside the apartment. He grabbed the Cokes and stood up in time to see the pizza delivery girl blinking at him.

“Barnes?” Bucky nodded with a slight blush. Holy shit she was practically leering at him and he knew she'd seen the show. He grabbed his wallet from the table by the door and she shook her head then handed him the pizzas. “Know what? I got this. I'll tell 'em I was late. You just made my night. You deserve free pizza for that. Holy crap that was hot.”

“Um . . . thanks?”

“Not a problem. Totally not a problem.” She grinned backing away from the door. “Blondie's a little cutie.” She winked at him then peeked around him to wink at Steve and give him a thumbs up then turned and walked down the hall. “You ain't half bad either, Barnes.” She threw it over her shoulder as she turned the corner and Bucky groaned when he heard Sam and Clint laughing their asses off.

“That was awesome!”

“We'll never live it down,” Steve murmured quietly. Bucky shook his head then handed the pizzas to Steve and ushered him further into the apartment.

“I'll get you a beer.”

***

An hour and a half later saw Bucky and Sam battling it out in their Super Mario tournament. Steve having killed off Luigi first thing while Bucky laughed and beat level after level until all five of Steve's lives were gone. Sam and Clint battled next and Clint whined when he killed Luigi off just as many times, claiming the few beers he'd drank made it hard to use the controller. Sam called Bullshit because he'd had the same number of beers that the archer had drank and was using his asciiPad just fine. Now it was Bucky being Luigi with two lives left and Sam being Mario with one life left.

Steve was in the kitchen throwing away the empty pizza boxes and washing the few dishes that sat in Bucky's sink. He had gotten bored while waiting for other people to kill themselves off in-game and escaped to clean if only to give himself something to do. Clint came in as he was rinsing the dishes.

“You okay? Not too bored?”

“No, I'm fine. Just cleaning up a little.”

“How's Angel?”

Steve tensed then forced himself to relax. There would only be one reason that Barton would ask about Angel. “She's fine.”

“That's good.”

“Yes.”

“Listen, Steve.”

“No. I don't think I will. Did he ask you to talk to me about it? Did he put you up to asking me about Angel?”

“No. He specifically told me not to, but dude, you gotta let him meet Angel at some point and I know you're scared but Bucky's gonna love her just as much as he loves y . . . his sister's kids. He's a sap for babies and kittens and puppies and yeah he's an asshole but he's a good asshole. I mean, I wouldn't know if his asshole is good, I just don't see him like that, but you probably have seen his asshole and I just don't need that mental image.” 

Steve snorted; all he had were mental images because of Bucky's Let's Not Give My Boyfriend a Sex Asthma Attack campaign he'd started. One time and they'd never get to try and have sex again. It was frustrating as hell.

“James cares about you a lot and he's gonna adore Angel and you've got nothing to worry about with that.”

“It's not that, Clint. It's just . . .” Steve trailed off then started signing so Bucky and Sam wouldn't be able to hear him though he doubted they could over their jeering anyway. _**What if we don't last? What do I do then? What about Angel?**_

_** He's a good guy. ** _

_** I know! ** _

_** He wouldn't hurt her and even if you two did break up, not gonna happen by the way, he wouldn't just walk out of her life. ** _

_** I don't know that! ** _

_** He wouldn't hurt you. Either of you. Not on purpose. ** _

_** I don't want to talk about it anymore. ** _

Steve sighed then turned away from Clint and finished rinsing the dishes then walked out of the kitchen carrying fresh beers with him. Bucky was on his last life right now and just barely escaped being squished by Thwomp. Sam was poking at Bucky's arm until Steve got between them. Bucky died right away anyway and Sam yelled and did a victory dance around the living room that had the neighbors banging on the wall.

“I'm gonna go to bed, Buck. I'm tired all at once.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah, baby. I'm fine. Just tired.”

“I'll come with you.”

“No, it's okay. Stay with those two. I don't trust them not to do something crazy as soon as we fall asleep.” Bucky laughed and accepted the gentle kiss Steve gave him then watched the short blonde walk out of the living room and down the hallway toward the bedroom. 

Bucky waited until the bedroom door closed and Clint hid behind Sam before speaking. “If he breaks up with me because you talked to him after I asked you not to, I'll break both of your hands.”

“He's not gonna! Chill, Barnes. Everything's gonna be fine.”

Bucky only glared instead of speaking again and hoped Clint was right. He went to bed that night and fell asleep wrapped around Steve like an octopus and woke up wrapped around his pillow with Steve's side of the bed already gone cold.

He sent Clint a text with hand and ambulance emojis. He figured he'd get the drift. He tried calling his probably now ex-boyfriend and got his voicemail as expected. He knew Steve was off work and at home or his ma's, but it wouldn't do any good to go to his apartment to check. He wouldn't answer the door anyway. Bucky didn't think Steve would ever speak to him again. The blonde probably thought that Bucky had put Clint up to asking about Angel.

***

Steve sniffled, hurriedly wiping away his tears when he heard his mother and Angel coming back into the apartment. Sarah had taken Angel out for breakfast when she had seen how miserable Steve was and she felt like her son needed some time alone before she asked him what the hell had happened. She'd only seen him broken hearted like this a handful of times and the last had been when he'd been broken up with by his boyfriend of two years. Natasha's death had been a whole different level of mourning.

“Daddy! We're home!”

“Let daddy rest, sweetheart. He's not feeling well today.”

“I wanna show him my new ponycorn.” Steve smiled weakly at the pout he knew was on his daughter's face even though he couldn't see her.

“Let me go check on him. Wait right here, Angel.”

“'Kay.”

Steve sniffled again, feeling guilty for not going to his daughter, but he couldn't bring himself to get out of bed because he didn't want her to see him like this. He was still wearing the same clothes he'd left the house in the day before, rumpled and smelling of beer and sweat. His face was puffy and red from crying and he was an absolute fucking mess. His baby girl deserved better. The blonde whimpered and pressed his face into his pillow to muffle his sobs.

How could he have been so stupid? He loved Bucky, probably more than he should have so quickly, and he'd walked out in the middle of the night because he couldn't deal with the guilt he felt for not wanting to share everything with the brunette. Bucky probably thought Steve was ashamed of him or maybe didn't think he was good enough to meet Angelina. Was that why he'd had Clint talk to Steve about meeting Angel? Clint had said that Bucky had told him not to ask, but Steve was still pretty sure that he had nudged Clint in that direction at least.

His bedroom door opened and his mother walked in without knocking, not that he'd expected her to, and she sighed when she saw him curled up under the blanket.

“Steve?”

“Go away.”

“No. What happened? Did you get into a fight with him?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

“I left him,” he groaned into his pillow, his voice muffled enough that hopefully his ma wouldn't hear him.

“Why did you do that, baby?”

“Clint asked me about Angel. Told me that Bucky would love her and he loves kids. I know how much he does. I saw him with Becca's kids. He wasn't pressuring me about it, but I . . . I felt like I was. I felt guilty. Felt like there was a noose around my neck and it got pulled tighter and tighter every day that I didn't let him meet her.”

“Baby, you have to let him in. If you want any kind of future with that boy, you need to let him in.”

“Shut up. I feel bad enough without you adding to it, ma!”

A sharp intake of breath was all the warning he got before the blanket was flipped off of him and his mother had the tip of his ear pinched between her thumb and forefinger. “Ma! Ow, what the hell?”

She tugged on his ear until he sat up and looked at her. He met her steely gaze with a tear filled one and she nearly relented but didn't. “Oh! I could box your ears, Steven!” She pulled on his ear once more.

“Ow!”

“You love him,” she stated simply as she finally let go of his ear. He reached up and rubbed at it, glaring and sniffling in equal measure. She had known, probably longer than her son had, that he was stupidly in love with the boy from the laundromat.

“Of course I do.”

“You want him in your life.”

“Yeah.”

“Why isn't he?'

“He was.”

She gave him a pitying look. “No he wasn't, baby. You only let him in as far as you wanted. He loves you, Steven. I can see the way he looks at you when he picks you up for your dates. You need to let him in, baby. You need to let him meet Angel. He'll love her just as much as he loves you.”

“But . . . Natasha.”

“You haven't told him.”

“No.”

“You need to.”

“I don't even know if he'll talk to me now. Not after the way I left.”

“He will. Now go clean your ass up and stop being so dramatic. Angel wants to show you her new unicorn.” With that she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead then walked out of the room.

Just because she might have been right didn't make it any easier. He sighed heavily then made his way to the shower. He'd call Bucky. He owed him that much. He just didn't know when or how or what he'd even say.

It took two days of wallowing and self doubt before he picked up his phone and sent Bucky a text because he was too much of a fucking coward to call him.

***

_ S: Come to my place tonight @ 8? We need to talk. _

Bucky stared at the text message from his possibly ex-boyfriend for an hour before he managed to write him back. Three days without a word and now Steve wanted to talk? And about what? Bucky had just assumed Steve had broken up with him since he hadn't heard from him. Clint and Sam had been worried about it too and Clint felt guilty as fuck which Buck thought was perfectly acceptable. It was Clint's fault anyway. Mostly Clint's fault. Partially Clint's fault. Either way Clint had some responsibility for what had happened. The rest was Steve and Bucky's faults.

_ B: Okay. _

The brunette sighed heavily as he stared down at his phone, waiting for another text he wouldn't receive. Hopefully he and Steve could work out whatever problems they were having. Communication, trust, fear, any or all of those things. He hoped he and Steve would be all right. He didn't know what he'd do without the tiny blonde he'd come to love so much in so little time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are super loved and appreciated even if I don't manage to reply to them. I don't really know what to say in reply other than thank you.
> 
> Also I've aged myself by talking about the SNES so much in this chapter. *sigh* And I've never actually tried to hook up the Super Nintendo to the hdtv so I dunno if it'll work or not. But I'm pretty sure I can get it to work. Also Earthbound is an awesome game and my brother keeps trying to sell it out from under me 'cause it goes for like $200 US for just the game with no box or players guide with it. I've seen it go for $600+ with it depending on condition so yeah. Mine's not in a safe, but it might be one day. lol Super Mario World however, goes for like $10. Mario Paint, the flyswatter game on that is so awesome! goes for anywhere from $5 to $50 depending on if it's got the mouse, the mousepad, manuals, etc. included.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Steve have their first adult conversation about their lives and future together. Steve tells Bucky about Natasha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As Steve tells Bucky about Natasha there's a brief mention of her death and the circumstances surrounding it. It's about two sentences or so and though not necessarily graphic, I'm tossing out a warning here just in case. 
> 
> The first of the chapter is dialogue heavy, but the rest is not.

Steve spent the day pacing and worrying in between caring for his daughter and showering her in extra affection to try and make up for the day when he had sent her home with his mother because he was a pathetic asshole and hid away in bed while his mother kept telling Angel her daddy was sick again and didn't want to give her germs. He was going to send her home with his mother again tonight before Bucky showed up. Hopefully when he went to pick her up in the morning Bucky would be with him.

Bucky spent the day zoning out at work, getting gently reprimanded by Sam, and finally sent home when they realized he was all but useless. He paced and paced his apartment until he finally changed into a tank top, a pair of shorts, and running shoes. He couldn't even tell you the last time he had gone running. He usually saved his work outs for the gym, Tony's appointments, and the routine from his physical therapy that he still did a couple times a week to ease the ache in his shoulder. 

Was Steve only asking him over to break up with him? Was he going to explain why the hell he had left in the middle of the night and refused to answer his phone or text messages until now? Was he going to let him meet Angel out of some sense of guilt? Was he going to tell him that he felt betrayed because Clint had tried to talk him into letting Bucky meet Angel?

Bucky gave up on trying to calm himself by six and spent the better part of an hour wallowing in the bathtub that he had filled with slightly too hot water. He didn't bother being picky with his clothes and pulled on a plain black T-shirt and a pair bluejeans. He grabbed his cell phone and left for Steve's apartment.

***

“I'm gonna die.”

“No you're not.”

“Yes, I am. I'm going to have a heart attack and die.”

“Shut up, Steven. You'll be fine.”

He groaned hearing the barely concealed laughter in his mother's voice and let himself drop onto the couch. “I'm scared, Ma.”

“You'll be fine, baby. I promise.”

“What if I'm not? What if we're not?”

“You will be.”

There was a timid knock on the door to Steve's apartment and he squeaked. “He's here.”

“Talk to him, Steve.”

“I'm gonna. I gotta go.”

“You'll be fine baby,” she told him softly.

“Bye, Ma.” He hung up before she could say anything else. The quiet knocking came again and he steeled himself and walked to the door slowly trying not to run to it and swing it open. He wasn't sure how Bucky would look or react if he did. He wasn't even really sure it was Bucky. From the amount of phone calls and texts from Sam and Clint it could have just as easily been one of them.

Clint had sent several messages and called to apologize and he swore up and down that Bucky hadn't asked him to talk to Steve about Angel. That he had done it even though Bucky had begged him not to. Sam had told him the same thing.

“Steve?” Bucky called through the door sounding as miserable as Steve did.

Okay so it was Bucky. Steve took a deep breath to steady himself then opened the door, not expecting his . . . whatever the brunette was to him now, to wrap him in a tight hug that lifted him off of the ground and walk into the apartment with him.

“I'm sorry, Stevie. I'm so fuckin' sorry. I didn't mean to pressure you. I didn't think . . . I'm so sorry.”

The blonde kicked the door shut and sighed. “You didn't, Buck.” He wrapped his arms around him tightly for a moment then pushed himself back. Bucky sat him back on his feet and stepped away from him. “You didn't pressure me. I just . . . wasn't ready. I'm fucking terrified.”

“Of what? Why couldn't you tell me?”

“Because I felt so damned guilty because I couldn't let myself trust you enough to meet her. I didn't trust myself enough either.”

“Tell me now, baby.”

Steve nodded with another heavy sigh then motioned for the brunette to sit on the couch. “Want a beer?”

“Sure.”

He was trying to give himself time, Bucky knew. Trying to figure out exactly what he wanted to say. What he needed to say. Bucky hoped that they could make it past whatever issues Steve was having right now. What issues they needed to work on together. The tiny blonde came back a few moments later with two opened beers and handed Bucky one then sat next to him.

“I'm sorry for walking out on you in the middle of the night. It was a shitty thing to do.”

“It was,” Bucky murmured then took a sip of his beer. “But, I don't blame you. I asked Clint and Sam not to talk to you about Angel. I swear I didn't tell them to ask about her.”

“I . . . I know, Buck. They told me. Repeatedly.” Sam and Clint had probably left him five or six voicemails apiece and then double that in texts.

“What are you so afraid of? I mean, I know it's gotta be difficult trying to bring someone else in. I know that, but . . .” Bucky trailed off shaking his head.

“She's my baby girl and I want to protect her from everything and I know one day I'm not going to be able to, but for now I try. I probably try too hard. I care about you so much, Buck. I want you to meet Angel, and my mother for that matter, but I'm terrified that you and I won't last. That if you do meet Angel and she loves you and gets attached then if you and I break up she'll lose you. I don't want her to lose another parent. She never knew Natasha, but she would know you and it would break her heart. It would break mine.”

“You're not just terrified for Angel. You're terrified for you too.” Bucky knew that Natasha had been a huge part of Steve's life. Maybe Steve had loved her a little bit more than what he had told Bucky before.

“Of course I am, Buck!” Steve growled and combed his hands through his hair. “It's . . . this is a big deal.”

“I know that.”

“You know you're the first relationship I've had in over five years. It never mattered until I met you. Now it all feels like too much. Like not enough and I don't know how to open up. I don't know how to share my life with anyone.”

“You're shared so much already, Stevie.”

“I have to share all of it, don't I? Am I the only one of us that feels stupid that we're just now having our first grown up conversation?”

Bucky shrugged with a half laugh. “We had to at some point.”

“Yeah.”

“We have to figure out what we want, Stevie. We can't keep acting like our future doesn't matter. That we'll just take it day by day. Sometimes it's good to plan things.”

“I want you to meet Angel.”

Bucky blinked in surprise. “Now? Is she here?”

“No. She's spending the night with Ma. I wanted us to talk first and if . . . if we get things figured out I want you to go with me in the morning to meet her and my mother.”

“Stevie, I care about you and I want you in my life for as long as you'll have me, but if you're not ready then we don't have to do this now.”

“I am. I was just scared. I'm still scared, but I think it'll be okay. I want you too, Buck.”

“All right, baby.”

“I need to tell you about Natasha. I think it'll help you understand a bit more.”

“Only if you want.”

Steve sighed heavily, tears already gathering in his baby blues, and he downed the rest of his beer. “I need to. I need another beer first, but I need to.” He stood then and after eyeing Bucky's half empty bottle went into the kitchen to grab two more. He grabbed another for himself and cracked it open, downing it quickly and grimaced at the cold and then covered his mouth before he belched from the fizz. He took another minute to steady himself then walked back into the living room where Bucky was waiting patiently. He sat next to him and handed him a beer with a weak smile.

“It's all right, baby. Take your time.” Bucky reached up and combed Steve's bangs from his eyes.

Steve nodded and took a sip of his beer then began to tell him about Natasha. The little redhead with pigtails and a Russian accent. The little girl who hadn't fit in any better than he had and hated people on principal it seemed. She had gotten along with Steve and he and his mother were the only people she seemed to be able to stand aside from her parents. People annoyed her and if they didn’t leave her alone after a glare or even a small smirk which was worse because it made her look practically evil when the glare only made her look cute, she’d kick their asses. And always had. 

Ever since they were in first grade. Steve thought the only reason why she had liked him and put up with him being a little shit most of the time was because he had been the first kid in their class to speak to the tiny redhead with the funny accent. The only one that had spoken to her and not at her. Most of the kids had made fun of her accent and pigtails and Steve had rushed to her to introduce himself and tell her that he liked her pigtails and her accent, which she’d told him was Russian. Of course that was after he might have possibly  _ maybe  _ punched one of the boys that had jerked her pigtails and told her they looked stupid and she sounded stupid too.

Steve and Natasha hadn’t been apart after that. Always getting into and out of trouble together. Protecting each other from bullies and getting sent to the office too many times for fighting. A lot of the teachers thought that Steve was always the one starting trouble and most of the time they were right, but Natasha had started her fair share and one time in third grade wound up getting Steve’s butt kicked on the playground after the bell had rang to go in after recess. She’d apologized and the next day at school had given him a handful of half melted Hershey Kisses. They had shared them while sitting on the swings, leaving a small scattered pile of foil wrappers on the ground underneath them.

The next few years were a whirlwind of playing every day at school, fighting, protecting each other, being the brother and sister that neither one of them had. High school had been a nightmare for Steve even with Natasha sticking up for him as much as she was able to. It hadn’t been all bad but he knew if Natasha hadn’t been there he never would have made it. There were a lot of things he wouldn’t have made it through if not for her.

High School had been where he realized that he felt the same way about boys as Natasha did. Where Natasha had kissed him to make sure. His first kiss and he hadn’t enjoyed it a bit. Not that it had been a bad kiss; of course what did he have to compare it to? And honestly he didn’t know at the time if it was because she was his best friend or because she was a girl. Either way that had further cemented the fact that they both liked boys.

High School had been where she had helped him decide how to come out to his mother who hadn’t been surprised at his revelation at all and still loved him. Natasha had gone home with him after school and held his hand as they sat on the couch and spoke to Sarah. Both of them afraid but hoping and praying everything would be fine. Sarah had sat and listened to them both and then smiled and said, “It’s about damn time.”

High School had been where he had been beat up countless times because his fists hadn’t been big enough to back up his mouth and he hadn’t been big enough to defend himself against the jocks when he stepped in because they were bullying other kids. If they were bulling him they weren’t paying attention to anyone else. Then Natasha would show up and push her tiny self between him and whoever was trying to beat his ass and kick them in the nuts then grab his hand and run like hell. It had been the place where she’d rescued him from the few times he’d been shoved into his locker.

High School had been the place where he had gotten pneumonia and missed going to the prom with her so she and Sarah had brought the prom to him at the hospital. They’d brought in paper flowers; the only ones he hadn’t been allergic to. They had brought streamers and music and one of those cheesy black disco balls with the multicolored plastic windows that spun. He had managed one dance with her before collapsing in a coughing fit that had his mother rushing back into the room and checking on him then making the doctor call Respiratory Therapy and having them hook up a nebulizer to help clear his lungs so he could breathe. Natasha wound up spending the night on the cot his mother usually inhabited.

They had graduated with Honors and Steve had gone to art school while Natasha had opted for joining the military where she’d stayed for a few years doing what she had told him was top secret operations. Well, she’d told him the “If I tell you I’ll have to kill you,” thing. He knew her well enough to know it was things he wouldn’t necessarily like so she didn’t tell him what she really did. She had left for unknown reasons and had come back only to fall head over heels in love with some guy that had been a decent if not completely reliable guy. By then Natasha’s parents had gone back to Russia and had ended all contact with their daughter when she had decided not to go with them. When Steve thought about it he realized he had only met her parents a handful of times over the sixteen year course of his and Natasha’s friendship.

Steve had met someone while she was away and had been dating him for a year. By year two he thought they’d be together forever, he was stupidly in love, but things had turned south somewhere and couldn’t be fixed. Natasha had held him as he cried over his ex and then a couple months later he had held Natasha. She hadn’t cried over her ex, she rarely cried at all, but he had still held her and then they had gotten drunk. They slept together and weeks later when she found out she was pregnant Steve had had an asthma attack and then fainted dead away.

When he had woken up Natasha had pinched him hard enough to bruise and asked if he wanted to keep the baby because even if he didn’t she did. Of course he’d wanted the baby. Natasha had given him that small smile that could mean so many things and they started planning their future around their baby. They took a week to decide how to tell Sarah. Steve and Natasha sat on the couch holding hands, much the same way they had when telling his mother he was gay. Sarah had cried both happy and sad tears. Sad that her son was growing up and going to be a father, sad that the little girl she had seen growing up was going to be a mother. Happy because she was going to be a grandmother.

Months later tears were sad again when Natasha had started hemorrhaging. They had done an emergency C-Section to save their baby but hadn’t been able to save Natasha. Angelina Natalia Rogers had been born three and a half weeks early and spent several days in NICU before being deemed healthy enough to go home with a monitor that kept track of her heart and lungs. Steve buried his best friend, became a single parent, dropped out of college, moved himself and his daughter in with his mother, and started back working at the grocers all within two short weeks.

The next three years had been spent taking care of his daughter, mourning the loss of her mother, and feeling brave enough to move into his own apartment and finally being brave enough to attempt a relationship.

Finally brave enough to share his past with a man he was quickly falling in love with. He wasn’t ready to tell Bucky he was in love with him. Not yet. Soon, he thought. After he finally let Bucky meet Angel and only if Bucky and Angel got along well. He left that part out. He didn't want to worry about it, not right now. Not with everything else eating at him. He didn't want Bucky to worry about it either.

Bucky had been silent, only holding his hand while he spoke, tears sliding down his face and dripping off of his chin. “Jesus, baby.” Bucky didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know if any words would or could do any of what or how he felt for his tiny boyfriend justice. In the end he only pulled Steve into his arms and held him as they cried.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is fluffy. :D
> 
> Oh! And there's maybe only three or four chapters left as well. 
> 
> After that I've got another story idea that's been floating around that I've got notes for, it'll probably only be a ridiculously long one shot, and my [ Cookies](http://archiveofourown.org/series/267547) one shot series which is ridiculous and funny and fluffy and a bit cracky but not too bad all on it's own and if you haven't read it you should.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky finally meets Angel and Sarah. Fluff ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter and it didn't take two months for it! Woot!! (Mostly because most of the chapter was written in June.) I hope it's fluffy, but not too gag inducing. Also some of Angel's vocab might be a tad bit advanced for a 3 year old, but I'm used to my niece who spoke her first sentence at 9 months and hasn't quit talking since.
> 
> Also at some point in the near future there's gonna be smut. There wasn't gonna be, I was gonna nudge and wink my way around it, but a couple people have hinted/asked for it so yeah. I'll actually give this a rating when I get there. It's still gonna flow with the story so it's not gonna be too porny, but I'll see what I can do. :D

Steve walked into his mother’s house trying not to shake from nerves as he pulled Bucky along behind him. This was the first time his mother and daughter would meet the man he’d come to love. He hadn’t told any of them that yet. He was pretty sure his Ma knew though. It never really seemed like the right time to tell Bucky and he didn’t even know how to explain it to a three year old. He wasn’t sure Angel would understand and he wanted to see how she acted around Bucky first. See how they interacted with each other. He knew Bucky loved kids, had seen him interacting with his niece and nephew, but how would he take to Angel? How would Angel take to him?

He expected it to be a little bit awkward at first, Angel was shy around new people sometimes, but what he didn’t expect was his baby girl running full out and wrapping herself, _arms and legs_ , around Bucky’s leg as soon as she saw him. Completely ignoring Steve when he had crouched down to pick her up when she started running. He turned on his toes, still crouched on the floor, and blinked at her in shock.

“Hot Buns Guy! Oh, you’re so pwetty. Will you be my daddy?” The adoring gaze in her eyes as she batted her lashes at Bucky had Steve smiling softly even while being embarrassed beyond anything he’d ever felt before. He was pretty sure he looked at Bucky with the same gaze though.

“Um . . .” Bucky laughed out of shock and Steve reached over to try to pull Angel from his boyfriend’s leg. “Hot Buns Guy?”

Steve was mortified and chose to ignore Bucky’s question. He knew he’d bring it back up later though. “Let him go, baby.”

“No! Mine.” Bucky laughed again and Steve groaned putting his hands over his face. “Pwetty.”

“I know, Angel. He’s very pretty but you need to let him go now.”

“Nuh uh!”

Steve reached for her again and she only tightened her grasp on Bucky’s leg causing him to laugh even more. Steve glared up at Bucky who was practically snorting. “Stop laughing! The more you laugh the tighter she’s going to hang on because she thinks it’s funny.”

“I’m . . . I’m sorry, Stevie. I can’t . . . She’s . . .” Bucky trailed off unable to stop laughing and Steve sighed.

“Angelina Natalia Rogers, you let him go right now.” He didn’t raise his voice or speak tersely, but Angel finally turned her gaze from Bucky to her father. She already knew that her full name meant she was sort of in trouble. She pouted at him for a moment then sighed longingly as she turned back to Bucky.

“My daddy,” she asked again. Bucky smiled down at her. She was so fucking adorable. She was like a mini-Steve with scarlet hair and grey-green eyes. She did look like Natasha too, but she was like a perfect mixture of the two of them and he couldn't help but see more of Steve than he did her mother. Probably because he was stupidly in love with Steve. He loved Natasha from what Steve had told him. Loved her for the basic fact that she'd cared so much for Steve and even if she and the blonde hadn't actually been together they had loved each other in their own way. Something that was more than brother and sister, not less than lovers, but different. He still saw more of Steve in Angel than he did Natasha.

“I think . . . I think you should ask your daddy about that, sweet pea.” Steve gave Bucky a grateful smile then looked back to his daughter.

“We’ll talk about it later, Angel. Okay?” Angel nodded after taking a moment to think about it then slowly turned Bucky loose and put her feet back on the floor.

“Pwetty.” She said it with a nod as if it was the final word on the subject and Steve picked her up and sat her on his hip as he stood.

“Thank you, sweetheart. You’re pretty too, ya know.” Bucky grinned as he said it and Angel blushed.

“Tanks.” She smiled a smile that reminded Bucky so much of Steve and he knew he was lost to the little girl in his boyfriend’s arms. The same way he was lost to Steve. Both of them would have him wrapped around their little fingers in a heartbeat. Steve already did, but still.

“Are you going to be a good girl,” Steve asked quietly. Angel nodded. “Okay. Angel this is my friend Bucky. Bucky this is my heathen, Angel.”

Bucky and Steve had agreed to tell Angel that Bucky was her daddy’s friend. It was easier than having to explain boyfriends to her. At least for now. Angel stuck her hand out for Bucky to shake and he grinned down at her, gently taking her hand in his. God she was so tiny he was half afraid he’d hurt her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Angel.”

“Nice to meet you, Buppy.” Bucky leaned down and kissed her little hand and she blushed and giggled looking so much like her father. “Hold you?”

“Why don’t you hold your daddy for a little bit, Angel? He missed you and you didn’t give him a kiss yet.”

“Oh!” She turned in her father’s arms and reached up to put her hands on his face. “Sowwy, Daddy.” She gave him a loud, wet, smacking kiss on the cheek then wrapped her arms around his neck tightly when he lifted her from his hip.

“It’s all right, baby. Where’s Grandma?”

“Watching my granddaughter asking for a new daddy.” Sarah spoke from the doorway of the kitchen and Steve blushed crimson while Angel and Bucky laughed.

“Hi, Ma.”

“Hi.”

“Ma, this is James Barnes, call him Bucky. Bucky this is my mother, Sarah.”

Bucky stepped forward and shook her hand. Steve looked near identical to his mother right down to her dainty stature. The firm grip around his hand let him know that she could probably kick his ass if she wanted to. She had the same blonde hair and blue eyes as Steve. The same stubborn jaw only not as masculine. She barely looked old enough to be a grandmother. Steve had said she was forty-six but she honestly looked like she was in her late thirties at most. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Rogers.”

“You too, Bucky, and I can honestly say it’s about time you stepped up and started dating my son.”

“Ma!” Steve flushed and Sarah laughed.

“He'd been going on and on about you for a year before you started dating and now I can see why.”

“Mother, please.”

Bucky only laughed and wrapped his arm around Steve’s shoulders. “It’s okay, Stevie. Sam and Clint said the same thing when they met you. It’s all right.” Steve grumbled something under his breath and Angel glared at him and patted his face.

“Jar, Daddy.”

“Okay. I’m sorry, baby.”

“A jar?”

“Swear jar.” Sarah murmured as Steve pulled away and handed Angel his wallet as they walked to the fireplace. Bucky turned to see Angel pull a dollar out and stuff it in the jar that was almost full of coins and dollar bills.

“Ah.”

“Just wait until I bring out the photo albums. I’ll have another twenty dollars in there before the evening is over.”

“What’s it for, if you don’t mind my asking.”

“It’s fine. Steve takes Angel shopping with it. Lets her pick out an outfit and a toy and then takes her out for lunch or dinner.”

“That’s adorable.” Sarah laughed watching the way Bucky’s eyes were lit up as he watched Steve and Angel together. He had it so bad for her boy and she knew Angel was already going to have Bucky wrapped around her little finger. Sarah knew Steve already did.

***

Angel scooted off of her father’s lap and moved closer to Bucky, looking at his prosthetic arm. She lifted a hand to touch it then stopped when he looked down at her.

“It’s okay. You can touch it.” He smiled encouragingly and she grinned up at him as she ran her tiny hand over the metal plates.

“How?”

“I got a really big owie and then a nice man gave me this.”

“Aww. Poor Buppy.” Angel pouted then leaned down and kissed his arm. “All better.”

“Thank you, Angel.” She smiled proudly then stood up on the couch and climbed over his arm to stand on his lap. He bracketed her waist with his hands so she wouldn’t fall, God but she was tiny, and she reached up with a tiny hand and brushed a lock of hair from his face to tuck it behind his ear. A move Steve had done time and time again.

“Buppy?”

“What sweetheart?”

“Hold you now?”

“If your daddy says it’s okay.”

Steve nodded when Angel looked to him imploringly and she grinned then turned and sat on Bucky’s lap, leaning against him like she’d known him forever as she reached down to play with his fingers.

“I think she’s smitten with you, Bucky,” Sarah murmured quietly. Bucky nodded with a gentle smile.

“She’s so sweet.”

“I don’t know where she got it. Steven and Nat both were little hellions.”

“We were not. We were perfect angels.”

“My as-butt. If you two were angels then explain to me why you and Nat almost got arrested for stealing a car?”

“You stole a car?”

Steve stuck his tongue out at his mother then turned to Bucky. “We wanted candy. Nat had filched a couple bucks from her dad and Ma wouldn’t take us to the store so we stole her car.”

“They made it two blocks before Nat crashed into a stop sign.”

“How old were you?”

“Um . . . fourteen?” He said it with a wince that told Bucky that they’d both known better but had done it anyway. “We may or may not have told the cops that we were eleven.”

Bucky laughed and reached over to tug on Steve’s jacket. “I don’t know why everyone thinks I’m the troublemaker in our relationship.”

“It’s because I’m so small and innocent looking.”

“Uh huh. Innocent’s ass.”

“Jar, Buppy.” Angel patted his arm and he winced and looked down at her.

“Sorry, Angel.”

“He’s a guest, Angel. He doesn’t have to do the swear jar,” Steve told her gently.

“No. It’s okay. House rules, right?” Bucky stood, Angel sitting in the crook of his arm, and walked to the jar. Steve smiled thinking how beautiful they looked together and tears filled his eyes. God he was so gone for Bucky and he and Angel looked so perfect together.

“How much do I need to put in it, Angel?”

“A dime.”

“A dime? That doesn’t seem like enough.”

“Was only a bitty swear.” She shrugged smiling up at him and he chuckled then pulled out his wallet.

“How about this? I’ll put five dollars in here just in case so whenever I’m around and forget and say a swear I’ll already be covered for it. That’s if Daddy and Grandma want me to come back.”

“Daddy does. He thinks you’re pwetty.” Bucky handed her the five dollar bill and she stuffed it into the jar as he put his wallet back in his pocket.

“Can I tell you a secret,” Bucky asked her. She nodded grinning brightly. “I think your daddy is pretty too.”

Steve sighed happily as he watched his daughter and boyfriend talking quietly by the swear jar. His Ma was shifting restlessly next to him and he sighed again. He knew she was wanting to say something, a glance at her face to see her expression told him it wasn't bad whatever it was. “What is it?”

“If you don’t marry him Angel will never forgive you,” Sarah murmured it in her son’s ear as they watched Angel put money in the swear jar and he blushed crimson. “Neither will I.”

“Stop it. We haven't been together that long. We've only even been on a few dates.”

“You see each other more often than that. You go on a date a week, plus laundry, and when you spend the night with him. And you've been dating for a couple months already. Your father and I were only together for four months before we got married.”

“You got married because you were pregnant with me.” That had never been a secret from him and neither was the fact that even though they had only gotten married because his mother had gotten pregnant she and his father had still loved each other deeply. He could see it in their pictures in one of the many photo albums his mother kept. “Stop it,” he hissed quietly.

His mother gasped them pulled back from him. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” He was blinking owlishly through his glasses and she held a finger up to shush him.

“It sounds like chiming. I think . . .” His mother frowned and he cocked his head trying to hear whatever it was she was hearing. “I think it’s bells.”

“What? I don’t hear anything.” He started to fiddle with his hearing aid and she waved him off.

“Sounds like . . . wedding bells.” She raised an eyebrow and Steve groaned, covering his face with both hands while his mother cackled.

“Oh, my God. Mother, please stop.”

“What’s so funny over here?” Bucky walked back over with Angel hanging upside down from his arm and Steve smiled as he took the giggling three year old from his boyfriend.

“My mother is being crazy.”

“Well, I never.” Steve grinned when his mother gently whacked his arm.

“Angel’s tummy is growling and we had an idea,” Bucky murmured.

“Uh huh!” Angel bounced up and down in Steve’s arms and he almost dropped her.

“We were thinking that we should all go get some lunch. She wants spaghetti.”

“And tater-tots!”

“And tater-tots,” Bucky grinned. “So I thought we could go to the diner.”

“That’s a lovely idea, you three should go. Make a date of it. Just don't get thrown out this time.” Steve resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course his mother would jump on it like that.

“We thought you’d like to come too, Mrs. Rogers.”

Sarah looked to the clock on the mantle above the fireplace hoping it was close to time for her to go to work and forced herself not to grin in satisfaction when she saw that it was. “I would love to go, Bucky, but I’m afraid I have to get ready for work. Let me know when a good day would be and I’ll trade shifts and we can all have dinner here one night.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You three go have fun.” She stood, trying to hide her excitement and Steve rolled his eyes at his boyfriend. Bucky only grinned. Sarah dragged Steve up from the couch and kissed his and Angel’s cheeks then not so gently shoved him toward Bucky. “I’ll see you later.”

Once she had hustled them out of the house she grinned watching through the small windows in the door as Bucky wrapped his arm around Steve’s waist and walked to his car. Steve was shaking his head and she laughed knowing that he was griping about her throwing the three of them out of the house. She saw Steve hand Angel to Bucky then move her car seat to Bucky’s car and strap her granddaughter in. Bucky closed Angel’s door then gave Steve a quick kiss and Sarah smiled when her son blushed while Bucky laughed.

“It’s about damn time.”

Bucky seemed like a good kid. He certainly was wrapped around Steve’s and Angel’s little fingers too. He was just as cute as he’d been in the half finished sketches Steve had done. Maybe cuter. He was polite and had manners, something so few people seemed to have anymore, and he adored Steve. Was half, if not totally, in love with Steve too. She wondered if her son saw it. She wondered if Bucky could see how much Steve loved him as well.

***

“Buppy?”

“Yes, Angel?”

“Can I have pie and ice cream?” Bucky looked up from the menu he knew by heart and saw that Angel was staring wistfully at a plate one of the waitresses was carrying through the diner. He bit his bottom lip, trying and failing, to hide a smile when he looked to Steve and then down to the three year old sitting in a booster seat so she could reach the table. She had a child’s place mat coloring sheet and crayons strewn across the table but was ignoring them in favor of staring at pie. The pie was good, but Bucky didn’t know if it was ignoring crayons and a color sheet good. Well, it was if he was tasting it on Steve’s lips, but that was different.

“How about you ask your daddy, sweet pea? Daddy might want you to eat lunch before pie and ice cream.”

“Daddy?”

“Lunch first, Angel. Bucky’s right.”

“Aww!” She pouted dramatically, doing everything but throwing herself out of her booster seat in a massive hissy fit, and Bucky bit back another laugh. No, Angel would rather pretend she was dying than scream and throw a tantrum. Steve only rolled his eyes then sat her back up when she slid over sideways as if dead. She slumped in her seat, her head lolling to the side and tongue hanging out and Bucky couldn’t help but laugh even though it earned him a weak glare from his boyfriend.

“Sorry Stevie.”

“Need. Pie.” She was now gasping and wheezing and clutching at her chest as if to help her breathe and Bucky chuckled again. He knew where she got that from. Steve had done the same thing one night when Bucky had tried to say no to him over watching Monty Python and The Holy Grail.

“That’s enough, Angelina.” Again Steve didn’t raise his voice and Angel sighed dramatically as she straightened up in her seat and picked up a blue crayon.

“Lunch first?”

“Lunch first and only if you be good.”

“Okay.” She grinned then started coloring.

“Who’s the little punk now,” Steve asked with a raised brow. Bucky grinned.

“It’s inherited from her father.”

“Jerk.”

“’S’why you love me.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Both of them realized what they’d said at the same time and both looked to Angel who was humming to herself as she colored, completely oblivious to the shock that her father and his boyfriend were in.

“Do you really, Stevie?” Steve nodded biting that perfect bottom lip nervously and Bucky grinned then leaned across the table and kissed him softly. “I love you, too.”

“I wanna kiss too!” Angel stood in her seat and leaned toward Steve and Bucky. They laughed then each gave her a kiss on the cheek before separating and leaning back into their seats.

“So, uh . . .” Bucky murmured after a quiet moment, “Hot Buns Guy huh?” He grinned when his Stevie blushed crimson with a glare.

“Hot Bun Guy, Angel added the S. And what about Hot Nerdy Twink?” It was Bucky's turn to blush.

“Daddy?”

“What, baby?”

“What's a twink?” Angel was blinking innocently at him and he sputtered and blushed and coughed while Bucky tried to hold back his laughter.

“Um . . . well . . . Buppy will tell you when you're older.” Said brunette gaped at him and Steve grinned.

“Okay.” She waited a beat while Steve and Bucky glared at each other while silently arguing over who would explain things to her. Neither of them if each of them had their say. It was a moot point because she was way to young to be worrying about twinks, but still. “Buppy?”

“Yes, sweet pea?”

“Are you my daddy's boyfwiend?”

“Who told you that, baby?” Steve asked quietly. In all honesty she'd probably heard him talking about Bucky being his boyfriend but he'd been careful about mentioning it around her.

“Gwamma.”

“Did she explain boyfriends?”

“Yeah. You go out and eat and sometimes you kiss and then Buppy brings you home to me. And Buppy takes care of you. Cause sometimes daddies need someone to take care of them while they take care of their babies.”

“Do you worry about me, Angel?” Steve was surprised that Angel even seemed to notice as much as she did. She was only three and barely that. She was so much like Natasha for having never been around her except while in the womb.

“Yep. You're the only daddy at daycare that takes care of his baby alone.”

“Grandma helps me.”

“But not another Daddy! Ms. Cooper said I needed a mommy, but I told her my daddy likes boys and she said oh, and then . . . then she said that I needed another daddy 'cause my daddy was too cute to be single.”

Bucky snorted trying to hold back his laughter and Steve blushed and grumbled under his breath about nosy daycare employees. “I thought your daddy was too cute to be single too, Angel. And yes, I'm your daddy's boyfriend.”

“You gonna be my daddy now?”

“I think that's something your daddy and I need to talk about later, sweet pea.”

“Okay.” She grinned at him then went back to humming and coloring her coloring sheet.

Bucky looked to Steve to make sure what he had told the three year old was right and Steve nodded giving him a gentle smile.

***

“She asleep?”

Steve nodded with a shy smile and Bucky smiled back. Today had been just about perfect. After lunch they had stopped at a little grocers and bought a bunch of grapes and taken Angel to the park to feed the ducks. Bucky sliced the grapes into small pieces with the pocket knife he carried most everywhere and Angel threw the pieces to and at the water fowl. And at her father. Missing them by miles unless they were right in front of her. Bucky and Angel had started throwing them at Steve when he wasn't looking and pretended they hadn't been throwing the grapes at him when he looked at them. It started a food fight with Bucky holding up Angel and using her as a shield as she giggled but Steve only reached around her and shoved a handful of half crushed grapes into Bucky's face. It devolved from there and ended with all the ducks fleeing in terror and with Steve, Angel, and Bucky with grapes smashed into their faces and hair and laughing all the way through it.

After that they had gone back to Steve's to clean up and Bucky sat at the kitchen table with his pocket knife, some tweezers, and some damp wash rags, picking the remnants of crushed grapes out of the plating of his arm while Steve gave Angel a bath. He'd be lucky if he managed to get it clean by the time his next appointment with Stark rolled around. He had little more than a week before he'd have to listen to Tony bitch at him about it.

Angel got put down for her nap after her bath and by the time she'd gone to sleep Bucky had managed to get most of his arm clean. Steve joined him in the kitchen and helped get a few places that Bucky had missed.

“She's a great kid, Stevie. You did that. You and your Ma. You don't need anyone else to help you, not like that nosy woman at Angel's daycare thinks, but I'll help you whenever you need it, baby.”

“I know. I appreciate it, Buck.” Steve gave him a gentle kiss then took his hand and dragged him out of the kitchen to sit on the couch in the living room. Less than five minutes after sitting down they were both curled into the corner of the couch, holding each other tightly as they slept. Neither of them waking when Angel sneaked out of her room dragging her blanket behind her and climbed onto the couch, snuggling against them and falling asleep with her head pillowed on Steve's stomach and her arms wrapped around Buppy's arm that was wrapped around her daddy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again all comments and such are seriously the best and what keep me writing even if I don't reply because I never know what to say. Thank you. <3


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fully intended for there to be smut in this chapter. I really did. Then I realized that I can't write smut for shit. And everything turned out too cheesy and porny. So instead there is some slightly blasphemous nudging and winking and I hope it's not utter crap. 
> 
> I don't think it warrants a rating change, but I did so just to be on the safe side.
> 
> Also it's like two something in the morning here and I am utterly exhausted so be aware that there's probably a couple sentences or so that make no sense whatsoever. I'll go back over it once I'm lucid. <3

Bucky woke to a gentle shifting and smiled tiredly when he realized the shifting was Angel snuggling closer to him and Steve. He hadn't a clue as to when either of them had fallen asleep or when Angel had sneaked out of her room to join them. He moved carefully, trying not to dislodge either of them as he reached for his phone to check the time. It was well after midnight and he had several texts from Sam and Clint, probably wanting to know how meeting Angel had gone, as well as one of the many texts from Tony he would get to remind him about his appointment. He still had a week and some days before he went. Maybe he could get Steve and Angel to go with him if the blonde wasn't working.

Steve would probably like Tony if only to irritate him. Tony was arrogant and frustrating as hell and Bucky had wanted to strangle him on more than one occasion, but under all of Tony's aloof exterior was a man who actually gave a shit, but was too scared to show it. Still he was a huge pain in the ass and Bucky kind of wanted to see if Tony and Steve would get into a fight. He bit back a snort at that then slid out from underneath Steve and Angel. He knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep right away.

Steve sighed and Bucky scooped the sleeping family into his arms and carried them down the hall. He found Angel's room quickly and deposited his tiny boyfriend and his daughter onto the bed then covered them with the pink unicorn quilt. He kissed Steve on the cheek and brushed Angel's hair out of her face then walked out of the room to let them sleep.

The brunette stopped by the kitchen on his way back to the living room and grabbed a bottle of water then sat back on the couch, curling into the corner as he read over his texts. Sam and Clint both wanted to know how it went, both of them sending several messages each until they had given up. Both assuming that it had gone well because he hadn't called them crying and begging them to go over to his place with ice cream and liquor. He wasn't that dramatic. Besides, it had been years since he'd needed ice cream and liquor. Aside from the day after Steve had walked out on him in the middle of the night.

He had been terrified that Steve had left him for good. Had left him before the even really got a chance to be together. Yeah they'd been dating for a few months, but it was difficult when Steve hadn't even been able to talk to him about the important things. Had been difficult the past couple of weeks. Now hopefully their relationship was on the mend and they could move forward they way they both wanted to.

He smiled softly and began replying to the texts he had missed. Afterward he started playing Plants vs Zombies 2 as he rested his head against the back cushion. He awoke when he heard the quiet patter of tiny feet moving through the apartment. Angel was standing in front of him with a grin on her face, blue toothpaste foam in the corner of her mouth and splattered on her ruffled nightgown.

“It's morning, Buppy.”

“It is?” She nodded then climbed up onto the couch and sat on his knee. “Your daddy still sleeping?”

“Uh huh.”

“Do you always run around the apartment when he's sleepin'?”

“Yep. A wittle bit. I brush my tooths then I wake Daddy up.” Bucky guessed Angel had a step stool so she could reach the sink.

“Oh, okay. We should make Daddy breakfast, huh?” She nodded with a quiet giggle as she bounced up and down on his leg.

“Yep. Come on!” She slid off of his leg, almost falling on her head but straightening just in time. She took his hand, grunting and groaning as she tried to pull him off of the couch. He pretended to let her and swept her up into his arms as she gave him directions to the kitchen. Once inside she guided him around and helped him find the pots and pans and utensils. Telling him that her daddy liked sausage and eggs and fruit and toast for breakfast. Well, first she tried to get Bucky to bake a pie, but he had to disappoint her and tell her he didn't know how. The sad look on her face made him want to look up a recipe on his phone and take a shot at it, but he really didn't want to destroy Steve's kitchen. Or burn the apartment down.

***

Steve woke to the scent of coffee and frowned as he blinked at the pale pink walls of Angel's room. She was noticeably absent and he wondered if Bucky had carried him into the room and why. Last thing he remembered was curling up against Bucky on the couch. He sat up and stretched, groaning in relief when his back and shoulders popped. Just because he could fit on Angel's bed with her didn't mean his body liked him for it.

Angel giggled from somewhere in the apartment and Bucky's laughter followed the sound of tiny feet running down the hall. Steve stood and ran to the door, hiding behind it so he could grab her as she ran in. As soon as she cleared the doorway, stopping in confusion because her daddy wasn't in bed, he grabbed her around the waist and swung her up into his arms. She squealed, kicking her feet and narrowly missed hitting his crotch. He winced at the close call then gave her a quick kiss and laughed when she giggled and climbed around him like a monkey to sit on his shoulders.

“Me and Buppy made food!”

“You did?” He grabbed her legs to keep her from falling and walked out of the bedroom.

“Yep!”

“What did you make?”

“'prise.”

“A surprise huh?”

“Yep. Go see!” She bounced on his shoulders and pulled his hair to the left, trying to steer him toward the kitchen.

“Calm down, baby.”

“No!” His daughter giggled again and he sighed in defeat and walked into the kitchen. He honestly expected it to be a complete mess since Angel had helped, but the kitchen was spotless aside from a single pan that sat on a burner. Bucky switched it off then moved it to the table and started sliding scrambled eggs onto plates that were already filled with fruit and sausage and toast. The blonde wasn't even aware that he'd had sausage in the fridge. Maybe Buck went out to get it?

“Buppy! I got Daddy!”

Bucky lifted his head and grinned at Steve who smiled back in return. “Good morning.”

“Morning.”

Buck sat the pan back on the stove then moved to Steve and gave him a quick kiss and lifted Angel off of his shoulders to put her in her high chair where she had a plate of fruit and toast waiting on her. She didn't like eggs or sausage, but she'd mash her fruit then scoop it onto her toast. Or try. Mostly she just smeared it around the tray of her chair, but she always managed to eat enough to suit her father.

“Come eat, Stevie. Your eggs are gonna get cold. You want coffee?”

“A little bit, please.” Bucky nodded and kissed him again then moved to the coffee pot and poured two cups.

“Me too!”

“Oh, no. You drink your juice Angelina.” Steve nudged her sippy cup full of apple juice toward her. “You're not old enough for coffee.” She pouted then picked up her cup with a defiant glare and took a drink, her eyes never leaving Steve's. After she swallowed her drink she reached over and held her cup out to the side then dropped it to the floor where it bounced once before rolling under the table. Steve sighed.

“Angelina.”

“What?”

“We don't do that.”

“Do what?”

“Throw things in the floor.”

Bucky watched from across the table as Steve and Angel had a staring contest. The three year old was still glaring at her daddy, looking more and more like him, and Steve only sat there with that look all parents get. The one where they're done with your crap but they're not gonna be mean about it. The one that makes you apologize without them even really having to do anything. He had gotten that look from his parents a lot.

“Aw, poop!” Angel gave up first then slid out of her high chair and walked underneath the table, emerging seconds later with her sippy cup in hand. Bucky bit back a laugh at her trying to curse because he knew he'd be in trouble with his boyfriend if he laughed. Steve only sighed then sat his daughter back in her chair.

“Thank you, Angelina.”

“Welcome.”

“Let me rinse it off.” Bucky took the cup and rinsed it off then sat it back on her tray and finished making their coffees. Putting a bit less sugar and more creamer than Steve liked in his own that way the blonde wouldn't steal it after he drank his. He had already learned that no matter how many times Steve said only a little bit to coffee he still stole Bucky's when he wasn't looking. And even sometimes when he was.

“You gotta work today, Stevie?”

“Yeah, I go in at three. I'm working until ten tonight so Ma's gonna pick Angel up from daycare after work and take her home with her and she's gonna spend the night. You?”

“Nah, I've got a couple days off.” He doesn't have the heart to tell Steve it's only because he was so useless at work they'd sent him home and told him to take a couple days to get his shit together. Everyone, aside from Sam who knew the real reason, just assumed that Bucky was having some issues with his PTSD even though it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it had been a few years ago when he'd first gotten hurt. He did still occasionally have bad days but they were few and far between. His panic attacks were all but gone. He still flinched at loud noises he wasn't expecting. Still it's not bad. He knows how lucky he is not to have it far worse than he does.

“You just gonna hang out at home?”

“Probably yeah, clean it up a bit. It's a pit.”

“Do you . . . um you wanna pick me up from work? Spend the night?”

If Steve's crimson blush wasn't enough for Bucky to realize what Steve was asking the way he was jiggling his leg under the table and avoiding eye contact was. “Yeah, baby. I'll come spend the night.”

***

Bucky walked into the grocers about thirty minutes before Steve was due to be let off. The blonde was running a register and sitting on a barstool that the owners allowed him to have for when his back started hurting too badly. He rarely used it. Bucky was instantly concerned and walked over, putting his hand at the small of Steve's back and rubbing a gentle circle.

“I'm fine, Buck.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Want me to give you a massage when we get home?”

Steve blushed, ducking his head when the forty-something woman he was ringing up groceries for winked at him. “Okay. Now go on before you get me in trouble.”

“Ok.” Buck brushed his lips over Steve's temple, pressing lightly on the blonde's back, then grabbed a small basket, swinging it in his hand as he walked down the aisles. By the time he was done running around in circles waiting for Steve to be done his little basket was full of different kinds of chocolate, a loaf of bread, a bottle of milk, and an apple. None of which he actually needed, but chocolate and Steve tasted good together and since he was spending the night he figured it was okay.

“Five minutes, Buck!” He heard the blonde's voice from across the store and walked over slowly, wasting two of his allotted minutes. He emptied the basket grinning at Steve's raised brow as he started ringing everything up.

“I needed chocolate. I even got you that weird organic kind you like.”

“Thanks, baby.”

“You're welcome.” Bucky grinned then giggled and leaned closer to Steve, ignoring the frown Steve gave him. “So, you work here a lot?” The blonde rolled his eyes but played along with his boyfriend.

“Few days a week. Why?”

“Just wondering what a pretty thing like you is doin' workin' in a dump like this.”

Steve rolled his eyes again as he shoved all of Bucky's chocolate into a shopping bag. “I like this dump.”

“You got any days off coming up?”

“What do you care for?”

“Gonna take you out for dinner. Dancin'. Buy you some flowers. Take you home. Maybe have a nice nightcap.”

“Gotta pay me first.”

“How much?”

“$27.05.”

“You oughta be chargin' more than that, doll.”

Steve snorted unable to handle the amount of cheese Bucky was slinging at him. “Just gimme your damn money before I start charging you interest for wasting my time.” Bucky grinned then handed him two 20's and winked lasciviously.

“Keep the change, sweetheart.”

“Go on, ya jerk.”

Bucky giggled one more time then leaned in and gave Steve a quick kiss as he tried to swat him away. “See you in a few.” He grinned madly then walked out of the store carrying his bag of totally unnecessary but definitely worth it chocolates with him.

Steve shook his head as he counted out Bucky's change then stuck it in his pocket to give back to Bucky later. “Pain in the ass.”

“He's cute. You should keep him.”

Steve jumped at the sound of his manager's voice then rolled his eyes when she giggled. Shell was two years younger than he was and while it was irritating that he technically answered to her even though he'd been working there on and off for the last nine years she was pretty cool about him doing whatever he wanted as long as he got done with what he was actually supposed to be doing.

“I plan on it. And eyes off lady. I don't know why you pretend that you don't check him out every time he's in here.” He smiled and pulled his till from the drawer so he could take it into the office and count it down.

“I have no clue what you're talking about, Steve.” She grabbed the till from him with a grin then jerked her head toward the door. “You guys go have fun. I'll count it down.”

“Thank you.” He smiled taking his apron off and shoved it under the counter.

“You're welcome.” She grinned and watched him walk toward the door, waiting until he was almost outside before calling after him. “He does have a nice ass though.”

“Oh, I know.” He grinned at her over his shoulder then gasped, he totally didn't scream, when strong arms wrapped around him and lifted his feet off of the ground. The giggles in his ear as he slapped at the arms let him know it was his idiot boyfriend. “Buck!”

“Sorry. Didn't know you'd scream like a girl.”

“I didn't scream!” Bucky was grinning madly as Steve slapped at him again. “Scared the shit out of me, asshole.”

“You screamed. It was kind of sad how girly that scream was. You sounded like Angel.”

“Bullshit.”

“You did.”

“I'll make you fuckin' scream.” Steve grumbled it as he walked towards Bucky's car. The brunette caught up with him and wrapped his arms around Steve's waist, resting his chin on the blonde's shoulder as they walked.

“That a promise?” His lips caused a small shudder as they brushed over Steve's ear.

“Yeah. It's a promise. Take me home.”

***

They walked into the apartment and Steve fell onto the couch while Bucky busied himself putting away what little he'd bought at the store. He kept Steve's chocolate out and carried it when him when he returned to the living room carrying two beers. Probably they didn't need them. Steve had been yawning practically nonstop during the twenty minute drive to his apartment from the grocers. Bucky didn't or wouldn't blame him if he fell asleep before they managed to talk about anything. Neither of them had gotten a decent night's sleep in the past few days. Bucky sat the beer and chocolate on the table and Steve barely stirred when he sat next to where he'd fallen on the couch.

“Babe?”

“Hmm?”

“You wanna go to bed before you pass out completely?”

“Yuh.” He rolled over, lifting his arms to be picked up and Bucky laughed then pulled him into his arms and stood carefully.

“We'll talk about whatever it is in the morning baby. Okay?”

“Mmm.” Bucky carried his boyfriend into his bedroom and laid him on the bed then kissed him goodnight.

“I'll take the couch again.”

“Don't hafta.”

Bucky smiled and gave him another gentle kiss. “I know.”

When Steve awoke it was to gentle kisses being peppered across his cheek and he laughed tugging Bucky down onto the bed next to him. “Good morning, Stevie.”

“Morning.” Bucky pulled him into his arms tucking his head under his chin and sighed. “I'm sorry, Buck.”

“About?”

“Falling asleep on you. And . . . and for not letting you in.”

“We've already talked about that, baby. It's all right.”

Steve shook his head and pushed himself up enough to meet Bucky's gaze. “No it's not. It wasn't fair to you and what if I hadn't ever . . . what if we had broken up over it? What if I had been more stubborn and scared? I love you so much and I was so scared.”

“I know baby, but we didn't break up. And you weren't more stubborn. We worked through it yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Then there's nothing else to say about it. All right?” Steve hesitated a moment then nodded. “I love you too, Stevie.”

“Show me.”

“You're sure?”

“Yes.” Steve kissed him softly then sighed when Bucky gently east him onto his back and slid between his thighs. “Please.”

Bucky could only stare into his boyfriend's eyes for a long moment. A desperate longing he’d never seen before in his glistening orbs. He knew his eyes looked the same to Steve. How long had they been waiting for this? How afraid had they been to take this step? And Bucky could honestly say that he had been afraid. Not just because he was afraid he might cause another asthma attack, but also more recently he was afraid that his tiny boyfriend was going to dump him in his fear of introducing him to Angel. How much worse would it have been after? His Stevie was so afraid that something would happen and they'd lose each other that he had hidden that part of himself from Bucky since day one. Now they didn't have an excuse. Angel had been perfectly cemented into Bucky's life and he wouldn't change a thing about it.

"Please, Buck.” Steve whispered as his hands clutched almost desperately at his back. He nodded, lowering his head that last fraction of an inch to press his lips to Steve's. The brunette slid his hands under the thin fabric of the shirt that Steve had slept in the night before, enjoying the delicious shudders that wracked his boyfriend’s body as his hands skimmed his sides. Their tongues joined heatedly, their kisses punctuated by Steve's quiet whimpers when his boyfriend's fingertips grazed the pronounced bones of his ribs.

Bucky decided that if he’d ever been religious in his life, Steve was his God. His tiny golden haloed God. He was the one he turned to when he was upset and hurting. The one he prayed to upon sleeping and waking. The one he had worshiped for the last few months and would continue to worship for the rest of his life. He would spend every night and day of their lives worshiping Steve if he asked him to and even if he didn’t, he would still do it.

Bucky pulled the blonde's shirt over his head then laid him down gently pressing his body against his as they kissed again. Steve's back arched and Bucky's hands slid up his sides, thumbs grazing over his flat chest and his lips followed. Steve's quiet whimpers filled the room as the brunette settled between his thighs, silently promising his god that he would show him how much he loved him. Every day for the rest of their lives he would always show Steve how much he loved him. How much he worshiped the man that had shared his daughter with him and loved him just as much.

He kissed his way from Steve's chest down the pale pink scar that ran down the center from his heart surgery. The one that Bucky knew he sometimes felt was a disfigurement. To Bucky it was his life. Without the surgery Steve might have died long ago. Bucky never would have found him.

"Buck."

"Shh." Bucky kissed his way down Steve's stomach, stopping just above the waist of his shorts, eyes trailing up his slender form until grey-blue met sky. He nodded and Bucky pulled down the baggy shorts, moving just enough to pull them down and off, leaving him in a pair of boxers with unicorns of all things on them. "Angel pick 'em out?"

"Christmas."

"Ah. They're cute, Stevie."

"Buck." The brunette grinned at his disgruntled boyfriend then pressed a quick kiss just above Steve's navel as his fingers found the waistband of his boxers.

“I love you,” he whispered placing another reverent kiss against his skin.

“I love you too,” Steve whispered on a sigh as Bucky stripped him off his boxers leaving him bare before him. The brunette grinned seeing all of him for the first time and watched Steve's blush travel across his chest and down his stomach.

"You're gorgeous, Stevie."

"So are you."

"I know."

Steve rolled his eyes then grasped his boyfriend's shoulders and pulled him back up his body, both of them shuddering at the friction. They kissed again, Steve's hands sliding over Bucky's shoulders and down his back, fingernails scraping lightly over skin until he found the waistband of his boxers. Long slender finger slid under the fabric and Bucky laughed when Steve grasped at him and yanked him down between his thighs.

"Easy, baby."

"You won't break me."

"I know. I'll worship you instead."

"Don't blaspheme."

"I'm not." He kissed him again to keep him from arguing and shifted only enough to slide out of his boxers as Steve fumbled in the drawer of the nightstand. Bucky grinned against his lips as he continued making promises.

He would worship his boyfriend's voice and mind with his ears, hanging upon every word he spoke. He would worship his eyes and lips with his own. He would worship his body with his own. His hands, his lips, his teeth, his tongue. His entire being would be devoted to Steve and nothing would ever change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated. (and more comments will most likely give me the kick in the ass I need in order to get the last couple chapters put out faster.) (^.^)


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony finally makes an appearance. 
> 
> This chapter is pretty much all fluff. Like candy floss and marshmallows had a baby, fluff. 
> 
> Okay, maybe not that bad, but still.

Tony walked into the workshop where Barnes was waiting on him and grinned. “How's the arm?”

“It's over heating a little bit, the plates are pinching around my shoulder, and my elbow is clicking for some reason.”

“Owies.” Tony blinked at Barnes when he heard the tiny voice then turned and saw a tiny skinny blonde guy holding an even tinier red-headed girl.

“Huh?”

“I hope you don't mind, Mr. Stark. Buck said Angel and I could come with him. That you'd be okay with it probably.”

“It's fine. I'm not just used to Barnes having people with him. Especially tiny ones.” He turned back to Bucky and raised a brow. “There's a tiny child here.”

“She's my boyfriend's daughter.”

“Tiny humans and I don't really get along that well. Um . . . the child group of tiny humans I mean. They're frightening. Too fragile. Pepper would kill me if I break one.”

“Steve and I will kill you if you break this one so just be careful.”

Stark looked scared shitless for a minute then nodded. “Uh . . . yeah. Just let me . . .” He backed away from them and went to a two door metal cabinet and opened it and started digging. He came away from it with a pair of safety goggles still in the packaging and leather welding sleeves. He turned toward Steve and Angel then turned back and grabbed something else. Tony walked toward Angel and Steve slowly then handed the safety goggles to the blonde.

“She can wear these. Nothing should happen that she'll need them for, but I'll feel better and Barnes will be less likely to injure me. And have her wear this. And this is for you.” He handed over the welding sleeves and the third thing he had grabbed out of the cabinet which Steve now saw was a packet of papers. “Non-disclosure agreement. Gotta cover our as . . . butts?” He looked to the tiny red-headed child in Steve's arms and she grinned with an excited nod. He nodded back with a small smile. “Butts. Most of this is experimental so you can't go blabbing.”

The tiny blonde looked offended that Tony would even suggest it. “I wouldn't anyway, Mr. Stark.”

“Pepper makes everyone sign them. Even Barnes here. You can read it if you want. You're not signing over your soul or your first born so it's okay. Basically it just states that you won't talk about this and if you do SI gets to sue you.” He leaned down closer to Angel. “And I need a pinkie promise from you that you won't tell anyone what you see. You can talk to your parental units but no one else.”

Angel giggled and most likely not understanding the term parental units held her hand out with her pinkie sticking up. Stark hesitated for a moment, he was so not good with children, was frightened of them honestly, then hooked his pinkie finger around hers and wiggled their hands. She giggled again and something sweet and dark and dangerous and definitely never going to happen settled into his chest. She was a cute kid, but children were something that you looked at from a distance. Not something you saddled yourself with for eighteen plus years. He knew all the mistakes parents could make with their kids. He vowed it would never happen with him and the only way to make sure it never happened was watching kids from afar and never getting close or having his own. Too many people got hurt when children were involved. Pepper would argue that he was too much of a child himself to ever be capable of taking care of one. He mostly didn't argue back.

“You don't have to sign those right this minute, Steve. Read over them and you can sign them before you leave.”

“Or you'll hold us captive?”

“Something like that.” Tony grinned then walked back over to Barnes and sat on a rolling stool next to the chair. “How'd you fuc . . . fudge it up this time?”

“Dunno. It just started running hot the other day.”

“A couple weeks ago.”

“What?”

“It started getting hot a couple weeks ago. The pinching too.” Tony and Bucky both looked to Steve, Bucky with a betrayed glare and Tony with a grin. Steve only smiled at both of them when he looked up from the papers he held in front of himself and Angel as he read them over.

“I like him. You can bring him to all of your appointments.” Tony nodded then looked back to Bucky who was pouting petulantly. “Your elbow?”

“The other day.” He shrugged his flesh shoulder with the beginnings of a blush and Tony raised a knowing brow.

“How did you mess it up?” Barnes mumbled something unintelligible and Tony heard the blonde behind him snicker. “What was that?”

“I kind of fell? And put it through the wall of my apartment and hit a strut.”

Steve coughed loudly, the most fake cough Tony had ever heard. A cough that suspiciously sounded like the word 'headboard'.

“Stevie!”

“You put your elbow through the headboard of your bed?”

The blonde piped up again, “And the wall. And hit the strut.”

Barnes was still glaring and blushing and Tony laughed. “Nice.”

“I know right?” The smug words came from the tiny blonde who Tony desperately wanted to high five.

“Steve! You're such a fudging punk!”

Steve laughed, hiding his blush behind the packet of papers in his hand. He was technically the reason why Bucky had wound up putting his elbow through the wall. Apparently when Bucky had said his inner thighs were extremely ticklish he meant it. Now Steve knew not to have the brunette anywhere near a headboard or wall when they were fooling around. Of course Bucky could still push him up against the wall. That was totally fine. So very fine. Steve liked that Bucky could pick him up and slam him against the wall, holding him up with his prosthetic as they had sex. Wall sex was awesome.

Tony grinned at Bucky then grabbed a small thin flathead screwdriver and started prying the plates of Bucky's prosthesis up to get to the wiring underneath. Probably there was a short somewhere if it was overheating. The pinching was probably from Barnes hitting it on something and not realizing it. And apparently the elbow clicking was because he'd put his elbow through the wall during sex with the little firecracker across the room. One of the plates was probably bent or maybe they'd be lucky and it just got jammed awkwardly under another plate.

Angel whimpered reaching for Bucky when Tony lifted the final panel on his arm and started poking around with what Steve thought looked like a small screwdriver, one slightly larger than the ones he used to tighten the screws on his glasses. “Buppy!”

“What sweetheart?”

“Weave my Buppy awone!” Angel was trying her hardest to get away from her daddy and Tony pulled away from Bucky and sat the screwdriver down.

“I’m all right, Angelina. I’m okay.” Bucky tried to give her an encouraging smile but it fell flat when he saw the shine of tears in her eyes.

“No!”

“Angel, calm down, baby. Mr. Stark is just making sure that Buppy’s arm is working right.” Steve tried to console her, but she wasn’t having it and tears were gathering in her grey-green eyes.

Tony wondered how he could get the tiny human to calm down and be good. He could be an asshole and just make her and her parental unit leave, but that would piss off Barnes and a pissed off Barnes was a bad deal for everyone. Especially Tony. And he imagined that the tiny human would only scream more if she was out of her Buppy's sight which wasn't good for anyone involved. Tony looked from the crying toddler then to Barnes who looked pained and like he was seconds away from jumping out of the chair and grabbing her himself. Maybe if the brunette held her where she could see what Tony was doing she would be okay. Or he could bribe her with ice cream from downstairs after they were finished. Bribes were always good.

If ice cream didn't work he'd . . . give her a car or something. Cars were good too. Except she wouldn't be able to drive any time soon. He could make her a better, faster, longer lasting, of those toy cars that drove three miles an hour. Hers could go ten or fifteen, have a roll cage that way if she wrecked she'd be okay. But what if she lived in an apartment complex? Probably she did and it was probably tiny like she and her dad were. Well, if she was getting the car then she needed some place to drive it and they could probably use a nice house. He'd have to tell Pepper to find them one. Oh. Shit. Pepper would say no. Especially to him buying someone a house. He'd tried before. She would come up will all kinds of reasons for him not to, but mostly say he was being impractical and to stop throwing money and things at his problems and deal with them instead.

“Angel, he's gotta fix Buppy's arm.” The blonde speaking to his daughter broke Tony from his thoughts and he sighed.

She whimpered and yelled, “no!”

Tony nodded to himself, ice cream it was, then turned to the tiny humans across the room. “It’s okay, Steve. I got this.” He looked to Angel then smiled at her and dragged himself over to her with his feet, rolling his chair across the floor. She glared at him fiercely and his smile softened.

“Hey, Angel?”

“What?”

“Do you want to help me? You can hold Buppy’s hand. I think he really wants you to. And I can show you what I’m doing and you might can help me too. If you and Buppy are really good I’ll give you a treat if your daddy says I can.”

“What kind,” Angel asked shrewdly.

“Well,” he grinned, “there’s a place downstairs that has ice cream cones.” Her eyes lit up and her pout turned to a slight smile.

“Buppy too?”

He grinned, of course Barnes should get a treat for being good, and glanced at Steve to see him smiling down at the girl. “Buppy too.”

She eyed him warily then looked up at her daddy. “Ice cream?” Steve looked from his daughter to Tony with a smile of thanks then looked back to Angel and nodded.

“Sure, baby.”

Angel turned back to Tony. “’prinkles?”

“They have sprinkles.” He actually had no fucking idea if they had sprinkles but they better fucking have. If not he would be sending someone out for the damned things.

“Okay.” Steve let her go and Tony picked her up, swamped in the welding sleeves, and held her with one arm as he rolled back over to Bucky. Angel immediately wrapped her hand around Bucky’s fingers and leaned over to watch Tony work on his arm.

Tony explained everything he was going to do even though most of it was over her head and what his tools were. She listened intently then giggled when Tony tightened the strap on her goggles so they’d actually _stay_ on her then started to work on Bucky’s arm.

***

Steve watched nervously as Tony handed Angel the small voltage meter then wrapped his hand around her tiny one and helped her guide it. She only used it for a second, long enough for it to beep and flash the appropriate numbers on the screen, but she squealed excitedly then let it go and helped Tony put the plates back in their right spots. After they were finished she kissed Bucky’s arm and let go of his hand.

“All better, Buppy!”

“Thank you so much, sweet pea. You did such a good job!”

“Totally. High five!” Tony lifted his hand and Angel slapped her tiny hand against his.

“Ice cream now?”

“Yup.” Tony stood and started to hand her to Bucky but she wrapped herself around him like an exceptionally small octopus and shook her head.

“Go with you.”

“Um. . .” This not being close to kids thing wasn't quite working out today, was it? He bit back a groan and looked to her parents for help. Bucky shrugged, he wasn't quite sure what to do but Steve, the little shit, only grinned with a shrug. “Thanks. Really. Assho . . . A holes.” They grinned and he glared at them then sighed and looked back to the three year old in his arms.

“Nothing with cinnamon. She's allergic to it.”

Tony nodded. “How about we go get a head start on the ice cream? I bet the nice lady that works there will let you help make your ice cream cones.” She better fuckin'. “We’ll surprise your daddy and Buppy with it when they get down there.” That would show them. Dickheads enjoying his complete lack of training when it came to children. He was more the pat them on the head and send them on their way type. Now he was . . . encouraging clingy-ness. Fuck it. It was only once right? She was kinda cute anyway. She could be his temporary science buddy until they left. “Wanna race ‘em?”

“Yeah!”

“All right.” Tony grinned then turned back to Steve and Bucky. “You two better hurry. They have about forty different flavors down there.” With that Tony winked then jogged out of the room with Angel cackling excitedly as she bounced in his arms.

“Stevie?”

“Yeah?” He looked away from the spot Tony and Angel had just vacated and saw Bucky blinking at the empty doorway.

“I think Tony Stark just stole Angel.”

Steve nodded. “I think we should go supervise. Not sure I trust him with my kid.”

Bucky shot him a frown. “He wouldn't let her get hurt, Stevie.”

“It's not that, baby.”

“Then what?”

Steve sighed. “You heard how many flavors of ice cream he said they had. She'll wind up with some of all of them. Flighty as he is she'll have little cones of all of them before he realizes it.”

“Oh.” Bucky laughed imagining Angel sitting on the counter surrounded by dozens of ice cream cones. “Oh, shit.” Bucky jumped from the chair, shrugging his button up back on as he and Steve ran for the door.

When they got downstairs to the ice cream shop Angel was walking across the top of the counter with Tony holding onto one hand as she walked. She was pointing to ice cream and giggling and the woman that actually worked there was following behind them with a half-adoring smile. Bucky could just imagine the shit that was going to fly after people saw Tony interacting with a kid. Steve and Bucky moved out of the doorway but didn't approach the counter, both of them deciding to see how it played out. The brunette wrapped his arms around the blonde, tucking his head under his chin as they watched Angel help fix their ice cream cones giggling and jumping up and down as she pointed to the sprinkles and other toppings.

Tony looked up with a slight panic in his eyes as if he had no clue what he was doing and was searching for her guardians and finally noticed them. The relief was instant and they grinned then walked over.

“Here Daddy!” Angel handed him a single scoop of chocolate that was covered in a rainbow of sprinkles. It looked like she and Tony had just rolled the scoop of ice cream in them before putting it in the cone. “My Buppy.” She handed Bucky his and the brunette grinned.

It was pink and blue and covered in peanuts and sprinkles. He wasn’t even sure what flavor it was just by looking. He thought it smelled like strawberry at first but now he wasn’t sure. Strawberry mixed with cotton candy maybe. It was probably going to taste awful, but he wouldn’t let Angel know that. He was going to do what every parent on the planet did or should do when their baby makes them something to eat that may or may not have conflicting ingredients. He was going to eat it and even if it was as gross as it looked; pretend to like it anyway.

“Thank you, baby.” He and Steve said it at the same time and Angel smiled proudly.

“Welcome. I made Mr. Tony’s too!”

“What did you make Mr. Tony?”

“Only the best ice cream ever,” Tony told them with an excited grin as he held up his ice cream for their inspection. “Death By Chocolate with rainbow sprinkles, marshmallow fluff, then dipped in chocolate shell and coated with peanuts.” He high fived Angel and she giggled.

“That sounds awesome. What kind did you get, Angel?” Bucky and Steve weren’t sure what to make of the tiny monstrosity that Tony handed Angel. It was pink and blue and purple and green and there were more rainbow sprinkles than actual ice cream and the cone had mini marshmallows glued around the top of it with chocolate.

“That’s awesome, sweet pea.” Bucky was the first to speak and Tony laughed when Steve only nodded. “That looks so yummy I bet Daddy wants to try a bite.” Steve blanched and tried to send Bucky a look to let him know he was in trouble and Bucky giggled then licked his ice cream. Oh, yeah. It was strawberry and cotton candy mixed together. It actually wasn’t as gross as he thought it would be.

“Is good, Buppy?”

“Is good, Angel.” He smiled and she grinned.

“Thank.”

***

When they got back to Steve’s Bucky laid Angel down for her nap, she was whiny from her sugar crash and he sang her Bitty Spider as they lay snuggled on her toddler bed. Well, Bucky was halfway off in the floor but still. Steve could actually fit his entire body on the bed with Angel. Bucky still had the picture of Steve had sent him after their first date and then one he’d taken with his phone the other evening where he'd busted Steve sleeping on the toddler bed. In it Angel was lying across his chest giggling up at Bucky. It was one of his favorite pictures.

As soon as Angel was asleep he carefully extracted himself from the death grip she had on his arm and put her unicorn in his place then walked into the kitchen where he found Steve cleaning the counter from the breakfast mess they had left on it in their hurry this morning. The sun was shining in through the window, lighting Steve's hair aflame. Golden locks haloed in the light. Steve reached up with one delicate long-fingered hand and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. The flash of blue that Bucky saw for just a second as the sun hit Steve's eyes made him weak. The shadows of his cheekbones, his jawline.

The smile on his lips as he washed Angel's sippy cup.

Bucky had pined over the tiny artist for a year, too stupid, too shy to speak to him. Feeling like nothing he did would ever be good enough for the blonde he thought the world of even if he'd never spoken a word to him. The Steve in his head was more complicated and perfect than the Steve in real life. Oh he still thought Steve was perfect, but perfect for him, not perfection in that he had to be absolutely perfect himself in order to be good enough for the blonde.

Steve was snarky and funny and kind and artistic and beautiful and a great father even if he sometimes didn't think he was. He hated bullies as proven by the time at the bar with Sam and Clint. He helped little old ladies walk across the road and carried their groceries even when he was off work. He climbed trees to rescue kittens and kites for children. He cut up grapes a couple times a week to take Angel to the park to feed the ducks. He was . . . He was it. He was Bucky's everything. Three months and a few days and it had changed everything. Bucky wouldn't change any of it.

It was too soon, definitely too soon, but he was going to marry him. Maybe in a few months, maybe in a few years. Maybe in a week, but he was going to marry his Stevie.

“You gonna just stand there or are you gonna help me?”

“Hmm?” He blinked and saw his boyfriend smiling at him.

“You all right Buck? You look kind of lost.”

“It's a good lost.” Bucky finally peeled himself away from the door and walked to Steve. Sweeping him up in his arms and kissing him breathless. Laughing against slightly chapped lips when Steve cupped his face in his hands and got soap suds all over his face. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on the next chapter now and it's getting rather long so it'll probably be split into two chapters and there's probably only two chapters left after that. Probably I'll do one chapter a week until it's over. Hopefully.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a couple days late, sorry. Also I hope it's not as run on as I feel like it is. And if there's capital letters missing where there's supposed to be some it's my keyboard's fault as both of my shift keys are screwed up.

_A few months later_

 

Angel squealed when she saw Tony and Pepper waiting on them downstairs. Usually Pepper was scarce but she'd taken a shine to the now four year old. So had Tony even though he'd never admit it and pretended not to be comfortable around Angel. Even though he'd baby proofed his workshop as much as possible and she had her own chair, pink safety goggles, miniature protective gear, pink lab coat, and pink leather work gloves. She also had her own miniature version of Tony's bots that followed her around when she wasn't supervising Tony work on her Buppy's arm. Tony didn't like kids though. He especially didn't like tiny redheads that he allowed to take over his workshop a few times a year. So maybe she'd grown on him a little bit. A little, tiny, minuscule amount. Pepper elbowed him as if knowing what he was thinking and he grinned then scooped up his other favorite redhead when she bounded over to him and tried climbing his legs like a deranged monkey.

“Mr. Tony! Ms. Pepper!”

“Angel!” Tony laughed and Pepper tweaked Angel's nose then walked to her parents.

“Guess what!”

“What?”

“Daddy and My Buppy and got me a puppy!”

“A puppy?”

“Yep!”

“Well, if I know your old man, and I do, you went to the shelter.”

“Yep.”

“What kind did you get?”

“Mutt.”

Steve and Bucky finally joined them as they walked toward the elevator and Angel grinned at them over Tony's shoulder.

“She named him Barky Barnes,” Steve told Angel's science buddy with a conspiratorial whisper. Bucky frowned at him and he grinned madly while Tony laughed.

“We agreed that you wouldn't tell him, Steven.”

“No, you begged me not to tell him and I said we'd see.”

“Punk.”

“Jerk.”

“Anyway,” Bucky started with a playful glare, “Barky is a dachshund boxer mix. I dunno how it happened. I don't want to know how it happened, but Angel fell in love with him and he was pretty chill for a puppy.”

“Cute.” Tony was pretty sure it was the most hideous dog known to man, but it seemed like a good mix for Angel.

“He lives with my Buppy cause mine and Daddy's 'partment don't have puppies.”

“Rude.”

“I know!” She pouted at him and he gave Steve and Bucky a meaningful look. They'd been together for about a year now. Why were they not living together already? Why the hell weren't they married already for that matter? They both shrugged and he shook his head as they walked out of the elevator and into the workshop.

“All right. Get your gear on.” He patted Angel on the leg then let her down and watched her run to her corner. She put her safety goggles on first, then her her lab coat and gloves. After that she went to her bots' charging station and turned them on. They whirled and beeped and crowded her excitedly while she giggled.

“Tony?”

“Huh? Oh,” He turned to Barnes with a sheepish smile at having been caught watching his and Steve's daughter. She was totally Barnes' daughter no matter what they said. “Any issues?”

“Not really.”

“Steve?” The blonde in question chuckled.

“Everything's been fine from what I can tell.”

“I'll run diagnostics as usual then and if it's all good then I won't have to see your ugly faces unless something's wrong.” He pouted at that. He liked having Angel in the workshop and seeing her every couple months. What would he do without his tiny science buddy? “You ready, Angel?”

“Yup.” She rushed over with her bots following after and he helped her climb onto her stool next to her Buppy. He sat next to her on his own stool and smiled down at her. She'd barely grown since the first time he'd seen her. Just a couple months ago she was finally in an 18 months clothes. He'd had her fitted for her lab coat. She only needed it to keep from getting her clothes greasy.

“Okay, what do we to do Bucky first?”

“Knock 'im out!”

Steve snorted from his seat across the room and Bucky mock glared at Angel while she giggled. She listened to Tony too much.

“Not this time kiddo. We're running diagnostics, so the first thing we have to do is?”

“Move this.” She pointed to one of the larger plates on Bucky's bicep and Tony nodded then picked up his tools and started prying them up. Minutes later Angel was carefully plugging in wires and pushing the buttons Tony showed her. After the beep that let her know the program was running she grinned and jumped down from her stool to go play with her bots while it ran.

Ten minutes later Bucky was given the all clear and Angel went to put her gear up. She pouted at her bots and they made pitiful beeping noises at her. “Mr. Tony?”

“Huh?” She looked so sad staring down at her bots and hearing their whines. “Let them play a little while. Come on, let's go get our ice cream.” She squealed jumping up and down then ran to him and jumped on him, wrapping herself around his leg. “Don't take all day,” he murmured to Bucky who was sitting there watching Angel with a sappy smile on his face. “Actually I think you two have something to talk to each other about.” He winked then left the room, dragging one foot while Angel giggled and clung to his leg.

“What did he mean Buck?”

“I think . . . he means about us not living together.” He ran a hand over his hair as he spoke and Steve bit his bottom lip.

“Oh.”

“We haven't really talked about it.”

“Yeah.”

“We can't talk about it now, we don't have time because Tony just ran off with our kid and you know how they get when they're left alone for too long.”

“Our?” Steve sounded breathless and Bucky bit his bottom lip nervously when he realized what he'd said.

“I’m sorry. It just came out. I didn’t mean that she’s mine. I mean, you know I love you. Both of you and sometimes it just feels like she’s mine too. Both of you are mine.”

“Buck. It’s okay. I kind of like the way that sounds. Say it again.”

“Our kid?”

Steve stood and walked over to Bucky and straddled his lap, putting his hands on Buck’s chest. “Say it again.”

“She’s ours.” Bucky whispered it and Steve rose up, slanting his mouth over his.

They sprang apart moments later at a quiet tap on the door and saw Pepper standing in the doorway with a smile on her face. “Tony said to tell you to stop and I quote 'fooling around in there it’s unsanitary' and that he and Angel are working on your ice cream cones.”

“Okay. Sorry, Ms. Potts.”

She gave them a gentle smile. “It’s okay. Go on.”

  
  


Steve and Bucky walked into the small ice cream shop and saw Angel perched on Tony’s hip behind the counter, pointing to different flavors of ice cream and giggling. “Do we tell her that Pretty Buppy can be her daddy now?”

“I think we should get married first,” Bucky murmured quietly.

“What?”

“Or at least engaged.”

“What?”

Steve stopped walking and pulled Bucky to a stop with him. Bucky smiled down at him nervously. “It’s not the way I wanted to ask you about it. I probably should have done that first? Um . . . I love you and Angel so much, Stevie, and I can’t imagine not having either of you in my life. I don’t want a life without you.”

“I don’t want a life without you either, Buck.”

“I’m not gonna ask you today, Stevie. I want to do it properly. With a ring and I want to ask for your ma's blessing.”

“Buck.”

“I’m old fashioned that way.” Bucky grinned then leaned down and kissed his almost fiancé. He was pretty sure that Steve would say yes. Steve reached up and wrapped his arms around Bucky’s neck, fingers playing with the wisps of hair that were constantly falling out of the messy bun he still kept his hair in most days. When Steve pulled back from their kiss Bucky leaned down and rested his forehead against Steve’s. “I love you, Stevie.”

“I love you too.”

“Hey, guys? Sorry to ruin the moment, but your ice cream is melting over here.” Bucky laughed when Steve blushed then took his hand and dragged him over to the counter where Angel was standing with Tony, ice cream cones in hand.

***

Bucky walked back into the living room after putting Angel down for her nap and found his almost fiance sitting on the couch staring at the black screen of the TV he hadn't bothered to turn on.

“What's wrong, baby?”

“We don’t even live together. We can’t get engaged.”

“Babe, how long we been together?”

“One year, two weeks, and three and a half days.”

“Uh huh. And how much time do we spend at each others places?”

“We’re together almost every day.”

“And?”

“We spend the night all the time and Angel even has her own room at your place.”

“Which means?” Bucky grinned when Steve pouted.

“That we live together.”

“Yeah, so we only need to pick a place right? I can move in here or you two can move in with me. We don’t have to decide right away. It’s just something to think about yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Bucky slid behind Steve and wrapped his arms around him and rested his chin on his shoulder. “I do have a washer and dryer though.” He brushed his lips over Steve’s ear as he spoke and Steve shuddered.

“Mmm. You do have that. Good thing to start out with.”

“Uh huh. And I have a big kitchen. Plenty of room for when you want to cook.”

“Yeah.”

“Angel’s room is a little bit bigger. That means more room for stuffies.” Steve chuckled and shook his head at that. “It’s a better school district for when she’s old enough. There’s a good park across the street. She can feed the duckies. Think of the duckies, Steven! What will they do without Angel to feed them?”

“Survive on bugs and frogs and fish like they always have.”

“But Stevie, the duckies like grapes!” Bucky was fake sobbing dramatically and Steve rested his arms over Bucky’s as he leaned his head back against Bucky’s chest.

“You’re such a jerk.”

“And you’re a punk, but you’re my punk.”

“I don’t know how well Angel would take moving to a new place.”

“We can talk to her about it. If she doesn’t want to move then I can move in here if it’s okay. Besides Barky can't live here.”

“You know it is, Buck. And I know. We should have waited on the dog, but she was so excited for him and he's cute. We'll figure it out.”

“See? It’ll be okay. Although, you don’t have a place for the washer and dryer so we’d still have to go do our laundry at the laundromat and then hide the dog from your landlord. I'd better text Clint in a few minutes too, make sure he's not feeding him weird shit.”

“I still can’t believe you have a perfectly fine washer and dryer and still used the laundry.”

“I told you why. There was this hot nerdy little twink in there doing his laundry and he’s prettier to watch than my tv.”

“Stalker.”

“Yeah.” Bucky leaned down and kissed Steve’s neck then sighed. “I really do want to marry you. I've been wanting to marry you since the day I saw you.”

“Sap.”

“Mmm.” Steve turned in his arms and kissed him softly.

***

Angel ran into the living room and climbed onto the couch, jumping in the middle of her father and Bucky. Steve moaned and groaned like he was dying and Bucky laughed. “Mary Poppins?”

“Sure baby. Want juice?”

“Yep, please.”

Steve put in Mary Poppins and while Bucky made her a cup of juice and they snuggled on the couch together, Angel drinking her from her sippy cup and and singing along with the movie, Bucky and Steve watching her with happy smiles and misty eyes.

“You’re a sap, Rogers.”

“So are you, Barnes.”

Angel looked to them from the movie then scooted closer to Bucky. “Are you my Daddy yet?”

“Not yet, sweetpea. I gotta marry your daddy first.”

“Okay.” She grinned and scooted closer to Steve. “Marry my Buppy.”

“He has to ask me first.” Angel rolled her eyes then leaned over backward, putting her head in Bucky’s lap.

“Ask Daddy.”

“We have to move in together first.” The four year old groaned then sat up and looked at her daddy.

“We’re movin’ in with my Buppy.”

“That means moving all of our stuff over to Bucky’s apartment and not coming back to this one anymore, baby girl.”

“We’ll be with Buppy all the times?”

“Yes, baby.”

“Okay.” She shrugged and Steve wondered if she knew what it mean that they wouldn’t be coming back here if they did move in with Bucky. “We still go see Gwamma?”

“Yeah, we’ll still go see Grandma.”

“Okay!” Angel slid down from the couch and sat her cup on the table then ran out of the living room. Bucky and Steve looked to each other with raised brows then followed after the toddler. When they got to her bedroom they saw her pulling all of her clothes out of her dresser and shoving them messily into the pink overnight bag that she used when she and Steve spent the night at Bucky’s.

“Angelina, what are you doing?”

“Moving to my Buppy’s 'partment.” The tone of her voice let her father and her almost daddy know that there was a ‘Duh!’ that should have been tacked on to that sentence and the two men looked to each other with small smiles.

“Sweet pea, moving is a big deal. It takes time and planning and your daddy still needs to think about it, okay?”

“Daddy can stay here and I’ll go home with you.”

“It doesn’t work like that, Angel. Little girls have to stay with their daddies until their daddy is ready.” Bucky walked into the room and sat on her bed then grabbed her when she turned to run to her closet and sat her next to him on the bed. “Daddy and Buppy have to talk about it more, all right?”

“Daddy doesn’t want to move in with Buppy?”

“I didn’t say that, sweet pea. It might seem like it’s easy to do, but Daddy has to think about what’s right for his baby girl. You come first for Daddy.”

“And Buppy?”

“And Buppy. You are the most specialest person in the whole wide world to me and Daddy and that means we both want what’s best for you. And if that means waiting for you and Daddy to move in with Buppy then we wait. Or if Daddy wants Buppy can move in with you and Daddy. It’s a big thing so we have to think about it. Okay baby?”

“Okay. Love you, Buppy.”

“I love you too, sweet pea.”

She stood and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly then kissed his cheek. “Put my clothes up?”

“Sure thing, baby.” She grinned then let go of him and started unpacking her bag.

“My Buppy?”

“Yes, Angel?” He paused in folding her clothes back up properly and turned to her.

She stopped picking up her clothes to peg him with a look that made her appear far older than her four years. A look that Steve had told him was all Natasha. “You really gonna marry my Daddy?”

“I hope so.”

“You’ll be my daddy too?”

“Yes, baby.”

“Okay. Mommy will like that.”

“I hope so, Angel.”

“She will.” The serious look turned into a huge grin that was all Steve and she threw a pile of her clothes into Bucky’s arms. He looked to Steve and saw tears shining in his blue eyes. One slid down his cheek and he reached up to brush it away before Angel could see it.

“Steve?” Steve shook his head blinking back more tears then walked out of the bedroom after giving Bucky a look that meant they’d talk later. That he didn’t want to upset Angel. Bucky sighed then started refolding his baby girl’s clothes and handing them to her to put back in her dresser. Once they were finished she grabbed a nightgown then ran out of her room and came back a few minutes later wearing her nightgown and with her out of its braid. She had blue foam from her toothpaste around her mouth and Bucky laughed then lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the bathroom to wash her face.

“Why are you in your jammies? It’s not bedtime yet. You haven’t even eaten dinner.”

“I’m sleepy still.” He didn't believe that for a minute and knew she just wanted to snuggle like they always did before bed.

“Okay. Let’s wash your face.”

When they were done they went into the living room so she could give her daddy a kiss goodnight, which meant that Steve would take Angel into her room and put her to bed only to wind up playing with her for a few minutes before dragging her back into the living room to play with her toys while dinner was cooked. They would eat and then afterward they would watch a short tv show or he and Bucky would read to her and play until her bedtime. Steve took her from Bucky then carried her back into her bedroom to get her in bed.

Bucky sighed heavily then started picking up around the living room. Okay, so it was spotless for once and he was only picking things up to sit them back down. He felt out of his element. He’d been around children his entire life, but nothing had prepared him for his almost fiancé and his daughter. Nothing had prepared him for a baby girl who had lost her mother before she’d ever gotten a chance to know her. Bucky knew that Steve told Angel stories about Nat all the time. Angel thought her mommy was her guardian angel and who could tell her she wasn’t?

Sometimes when Angel was playing in her room with her stuffies Bucky and Steve would hear Angel talking to Natasha it always made Steve a little sad, a little bit happy too though. Steve would always mourn the fact that his best friend had died, that his daughter had never known her mother, but he loved the fact that Angel was content enough to pretend that Natasha was there and would talk to her. And really, who was to say she wasn’t?

Steve came into the living room a little while later, Bucky had given up on pretending to clean and was sat on the sofa watching the end of Marry Poppins. He and Steve usually wound up watching whatever movie they had put in for Angel long after she’d fallen asleep. Mostly they were movies that they had loved when they’d been kids so having a four year old was the perfect excuse to watch them all over again. Not that Bucky really needed an excuse. He had a whole collection of Disney movies at his apartment, one he soon hoped to move out of and into a house with Steve and Angel. He had his eye on one that was near where he already lived and wanted to show it to Steve, see what he said about it. If he liked it. If Angel liked it. If they did then he planned to buy it.

“Stevie?” Steve shook his head then threw himself into Bucky’s arms.

“I love you, Buck. I love you so fucking much.”

“I love you too, baby.” Bucky tightened his grip on his boyfriend and would have laughed at the way Steve shifted to wrap his legs around him if he hadn’t been so concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Steve.”

“I’m just . . . you’re so good with her Bucky and she loves you so much. I couldn’t . . . I couldn’t stand it if something happened.”

“Hey,” Bucky slid a hand under Steve’s chin and lifted his head so he could see those gorgeous baby blues. Steve’s obscenely long eyelashes were spiky from tears and Bucky gave him a gentle kiss. “Nothin’s gonna happen, baby. It’s gonna be me and you and Angel. Always. I know it’s scary. Especially because of Angel. I’m terrified that I won’t be a good enough father for her, but you know what?”

“What?”

“That ain’t gonna keep me from trying. I’m going to do everything in my fucking power to always be here. For both of you. All right?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, Buck.”

“You don’t have to apologize, baby. It’s okay.” Steve nodded, biting his bottom lip as if too afraid to really believe his boyfriend even though he should know better by now. Moving in was a big step even after they'd been together for as long as they had and saw each other practically every day. Eventually getting married was another one.

***

Bucky and Angel walked into the Emergency Room looking for Sarah. Steve was at work and Bucky was taking the opportunity to ask Sarah if he could marry her son. He was pretty sure she'd say yes but he wanted to do things right and that meant asking for her blessing. Even if Steve was a punk and thought he was being an outdated jerk about it. Bucky thought it was a sweet gesture no matter what Steve thought. He swung Angel up to his hip and carried her through the waiting room so she wouldn't get trampled if someone ran through, though thankfully it was relatively empty.

“I'm looking for Sarah Rogers,” he murmured once he and Angel reached the registration desk. The woman there, Stacy her name tag read, looked up at him and smiled softly.

“May I ask who's looking for her?”

“Buppy and Angel,” the four year old giggled as she said it and Stacy nodded.

“Let me call the back and see if she's not busy. Take a seat if you want.”

“'kay.” Angel nodded and Bucky smiled in thanks then carried the four year old to a seat away from the toys. Probably she'd like to play with them but he couldn't bring himself to let her. He shuddered thinking about the amount of germs on the toys. He wished he had a can of Lysol.

A few minutes later Sarah rushed into the waiting room thinking something was wrong with Angel and took her from Bucky looking her granddaughter over and checking her forehead to see if she felt hot. Angel was giggling and answering yes and no questions and telling her grandma she felt fine.

“Sarah, she's fine. I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.”

“What about?”

“Don't tell Steve?”

“Depends on what it is.” She frowned at him slightly as she sat down next to him, turning to face him while Angel squirmed out of her arms and slid between them.

“You know I love Steve and Angel.”

“Of course I do.”

“I was kind of hoping . . . I mean . . . I want to marry your son and I was wondering if you would give me your blessing and let me ask him.” He sighed with relief when he finally got the question out and Angel bounced up and down next to him. Sarah only blinked at him with tears in her eyes for a long moment, making him more nervous than he already was, then smiled.

“Yes. God knows you've been dancing around it long enough. You're moving in together first right? I don't know why you haven't don't that yet either. You've got a child and a puppy and you don't even live together.”

“He's nervous about us moving in together, Sarah.”

“Tell him I said he had to move in with you or I'm going to wring his neck. He's been in love with you since the first time he saw you and is even more in love with you now. Personally I think you two should just elope, Steve probably would too because he hates being the center of attention, but you'll probably want a proper wedding.”

“What kind husband would I be if I didn't give him a proper wedding?”

“One that cares what his husband wants. Do you have a ring yet?”

“No, I wanted to make sure first.”

Sarah gave him an affectionate smile then smacked him on the back of the head like he'd seen her do to Steve on several occasions. “Idiot. As if I would ever tell you no to making my son happy. He loves you so much, James.”

“I know.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek and carefully squishing Angel between them to make her laugh in the process. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for caring about him so much. For taking care of him and Angel. There's not a lot of people who would have handled everything as gracefully as you have.”

Bucky shrugged, “I love them.”

“Go get my son his ring.” She gave him a gentle hug and kiss then pulled back and picked up Angel to give her a hug and kiss as well. “Be good for your daddies.”

“My Buppy ain't my daddy yet. Have to get married first.”

“He's been your daddy for a while, baby. He just didn't see it yet.”

Bucky smiled proudly at that and gave his future mother-in-law another hug. “Thank you.”

“Let me know when you plan on proposing to him?”

“Of course, Sarah.” He squeezed her a final time, making her laugh, then stood and swung Angel up onto his hip as if she'd always belonged there. “I'll call you.” She nodded then watched her son, on paper or no, walk out of the Emergency Room with a bounce in his step and Angel climbing over him like a monkey until she was perched on his shoulders.

Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away, feeling foolish for crying. God she never thought she'd see the day when her baby boy was getting married. She knew he wouldn't tell Bucky no. She'd always thought he would remain single and devote his life to his daughter and making her happy instead of sharing it with someone else who would do the same. Steve had flatly refused to even entertain the idea that someone would love him, that someone would be able to handle his insecurities, to see him for who he really was instead of the small sickly child he had been and sometimes felt he still was. To take him on as well as his daughter. Then Bucky had come around and even if Steve refused to speak to him he'd still admired what he thought was Bucky's confidence, but was shyness in its own right. Bucky had always acted proud and unconcerned, but was jut as shy toward Steve as Steve had been toward him. Thankfully they'd gotten over it.

They'd all had a rough life and had done everything in their power to make it as best as it could be. Bucky had nearly died in service to his country, Steve had lost his best friend, Angel had lost her mother before getting a chance to know her, none of them were without heartache, but now? Sarah had never seen anyone happier than the three of them. They would be happier still when Steve and Bucky finally got off their asses and moved in together and then married. All she knew was that it was about damn time those boys figured out exactly how much they meant to each other and how much Bucky meant to Angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and comments. <3


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. And holy crap it's almost the one year anniversary of L&L.

Bucky sat the last box down next the larger than he had realized pile of other boxes. Steve was already in the kitchen unpacking the small box of dishes that he and Angel had decided to keep. Mostly it was Angel's plastic bowls, plates, eating utensils, and sippy cups. Steve kept his favorite coffee cup and some dishes that his mother had given him. The rest of the boxes were art supplies, Angel's stuffies, their clothes, knickknacks, photo albums and whatever clutter Steve hadn't gone through while packing. The last couple boxes were full of random stuff that they had forgotten until last minute.

The furniture, aside from Angel's bed, was given to the Goodwill along with the dishes and everything else they hadn't kept. It had taken nearly a week to get the move situated after Steve and Bucky finally decided on a living situation. Bucky had shown Steve the house he had wanted to buy them but Steve had panicked at the idea of them buying a house so soon and Bucky had relented especially when Steve had decided that he and Angel would move in with Bucky because he had more room, they could actually keep Barky, and it had a better school district for Angel. Bucky decided they could talk about the house thing again at a later date. Like after he managed to talk Steve into marrying him.

Another three days was spent packing and another after that was spent hauling what they weren't keeping to the Goodwill. Now they were finishing up the move and only had to unpack everything. Angel was in her room unpacking her clothes. Something that Bucky knew he was going to have to redo later. Steve was already gearing toward being late for work even though he said he would call in he hadn't done it and was instead trying to tackle too many things at once. As if anyone would be surprised by that.

“That the last box, baby?”

“Yep. You are officially moved in.”

“Almost. Have to unpack everything now.”

“Only if you call in like you were supposed to.” Bucky gave his almost fiance a pointed look and the blonde only grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, huh. Didn't think I'd notice that did you?”

“I gotta go to work, Buck.”

The brunette grinned and took Steve's hands in his own, rubbing his thumbs over his knuckles gently. “Steve. Darling. Sweetheart. Love of my life.”

“Hmm?”

“Call in. Just for today. This is our moving day and as much as I think Angel will be all right I'm afraid she's going to have some kind of breakdown when she realizes that you two won't be going back to your place anymore.”

“Low blow, you ass.” Steve pulled a hand free and rapped his boyfriend on the chest with his knuckles.

“Okay, I'm sorry. That was shit of me. Just please call in. You're gonna be worn out before you get home tonight if you go to work and we got plans for later.”

“You can give me a massage when I get home.”

“Good idea. Or . . . or you can call in and I'll order pizzas and we can all have dinner, watch a movie, and then unpack some more, put Angel in bed then I can give you a massage anyway and we can christen the couch.”

“We've already done that.”

“But you live here now. It's different.” Steve shook his head with a laugh.

“Come on, baby. You can drive me to work.”

Bucky sighed dramatically then let go of his tiny boyfriend to go fetch their daughter. Twenty minutes later they were making silly faces at him through the store windows while he laughed and made them back when he wasn't checking people out at the register. They finally waved bye and blew him kisses that he returned wildly.

Buck carried Angel back to the car and was strapping the redhead into her car seat when she spoke. “My Buppy?”

“What baby?”

“When you gonna ask Daddy?”

“I don't know yet, sweet pea. Soon though.”

“'morrow?”

“I don't think so, Angel. Let's go home and finish unpacking so that daddy doesn't have to do any of it when he gets home from work tonight. We'll order pizzas and make a salad that way he can't say we're just eating junk food.” She giggled and he brushed a kiss over her forehead then closed her door and walked around the car, sliding into the driver's seat. “We should also call Aunt Clint and Uncle Sam and make them come help too, huh?” Angel giggled like she always did when he called Clint her aunt and he grinned then handed her his cell phone. “Can you find him?” He didn't even need to ask her. She'd called Clint enough to know he was the third one down in his contacts.

“Yep.”

***

Angel squealed at a knock on the door and ran to the door with Bucky a half step behind her so he could make sure it was actually Sam and Clint before the door was opened. Barky was right on their heels. It didn't matter in the end he realized when he remembered the chain was done up to keep Angel inside in case she tried to wonder outside without telling him. She had a habit of running headfirst into dangerous situations. Not unlike her daddy. The blonde one. The tiny one that thought he could take on a six foot four behemoth at a bar. Or in an alley when someone was getting robbed or when someone was being picked on or beat up or . . . yeah. He loved Steve to pieces but the blonde didn't have a great survival instinct. At least not where his self was concerned.

“Buck, hurry up. We got stuff for Angel!” Clint called through the door with Sam laughing behind him and Bucky unhooked the chain and let Angel open the door. She promptly attached herself to Clint's leg as he walked inside the apartment carrying a six pack of beer in one hand and a pack of juice boxes in the other. Sam came in behind him carrying a pink gift bag and another pack of juice boxes. Barky yapped at them all excitedly and Bucky finally picked the homely little dog up and scratched behind the pup's ears until he settled down with a doggy whine. Bucky put his canine namesake down and watched as the stubby furball followed after Angel and Clint into the kitchen where Clint was hobbling and Angel was giggling from where she sat on his foot.

“I never thought I'd see the day when Bucky Barnes became a parent.”

“She's my kid now Sam. Not on paper, I mean, but she's mine now too.”

“Being a daddy agrees with you.”

The brunette nodded with a grin and took the juice boxes from Sam. “Yeah, it does.”

Angel ran back into the room carrying a juice box with her then wrapped herself around Sam's leg. “Sam I Am!”

“Angel Baby!” He swung her up into his arms and gave her a tight hug and grinned when she kissed his cheek.

“Gonna unpack?”

“Oooh, so that's why you wanted me to come over.” Angel giggled with a nod.

“Pizza?”

“I get pizza if I help?”

“Yep.”

“Well I guess that's okay then.” She giggled when he smiled and wrinkled his nose at her.

“My room!”

“You want your present first?” The four year old nodded quickly then jumped down, landing with a quiet oof and squeezing some of her juice box out onto the floor.

“Oop.” She handed him her juice then ran into the kitchen and came back with what looked like half a roll of paper towels to mop up a teaspoon of juice from the hardwood. Clint stood in the doorway with a bottle of water, hiding his laughter when she smiled proudly at her stepfather after she finished mopping up her juice. The paper towels got thrown in the general direction of the trash bin at the end of the couch under the end table and Bucky picked them up, putting them in it, figuring that was as close as Angel was going to get with so many distractions.

She waited patiently, eyes big as saucers, when Sam handed her the pink gift bag that was nearly the same size as she was. Bucky figured there was some kind of new unicorn for her in it. What he didn't expect was a bouquet of a dozen plushie unicorns in varying shades of pink. The squeal that followed had him wincing even as he laughed at how excited she was. She gave Sam a quick hug while yelling thank you over and over then ran to Bucky and showed him the stuffies.

“Buppy!” She thrust the bouquet into his hands while bouncing up and down and he smiled.

“That was very nice of Uncle Sam. Why don't you two go in your room and find somewhere to put it so it doesn't get lost before daddy comes home from work.”

“Okay!” She took Sam's hand and dragged him after her talking a mile a minute about her new stuffies.

Clint and Bucky both smiled after them and Clint walked into the living room carrying two beers and handed one to the brunette. “She's adorable.”

“Just like her daddy.”

“Sap.”

“I really love them, Clint.”

“I know.”

“I need help.”

“Sam's the one that runs support groups, Barnes.” He smiled like a dick and Bucky sighed.

“Ass. No, I need a ring. For Steve.”

Clint raised both eyebrows in surprise then took a long drink of his beer. “You're going to ask him.”

“Yeah.”

“Does he know?”

“Not yet. I mean he knows I intend to ask, but he doesn't know when or anything. I don't think he thought I was serious. I'm not sure. I asked his ma for permission.”

“You're so old,” Clint laughed.

“Shut up. This is serious, Clint.”

“I know. I know, it's just . . . you've always talked about getting married and having kids and now you're actually doing it and Steve's so great for you and Angel's a complete sweetheart. They fit you, James. You three look really well together. You know that right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” Bucky's eyes strayed to the picture of himself, Steve, and Angel all three laughing and spraying each other with Silly String. Sarah had taken it while they were having a picnic in her backyard and Bucky had given it a place of honor on the wall next to a picture of himself and Becca from when they'd been kids. “I love 'em.”

“Still a sap.”

“You gonna make a ring for me or not?” The question was little more than an irritated growl and Clint laughed while his annoyed friend only glared at him.

“Of course. I'd be offended and pissed the fuck off if you went somewhere else for your engagement ring. You'll get wedding rings too though right? I need money. There's an animal shelter that's fixing to have to close down if they don't get any more funding and there's this ugly old dog there with one eye and three legs that needs surgery.”

It would have been ridiculous and far fetched for anyone, but Bucky knew Clint was absolutely serious. He would probably wind up adopting the ugly old dog too. “Yeah, Clint. Wedding rings too. Steve might want to help pick those out though. Let's just get through the engagement ring first.”

***

It took a week of sneaking around for Bucky to be able to get Steve's engagement ring.

Clint, Angel, Sam, and Bucky had finished unpacking from the move and folded the empty boxes up and put them in the recycling bins. After they were finished Bucky ordered pizza then Angel helped him make a salad that mostly consisted of grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and shredded cheddar cheese. There was lettuce in there somewhere. Bucky knew he'd put some in it. Probably it was just buried.

Steve came home that night surprised to not only find Sam and Clint there but all of their unpacking was done too. He was infinitely thankful for them and told them over and over again how much he appreciated not having to do it all. Which somewhat offended Bucky because it wasn't like he was going to let his almost fiance do all of it by himself. What kind of asshole would have done that? His irritation didn't last long however because Steve just smiled and gave him a quick kiss to placate him which Bucky pointed out wouldn't always work. Steve had only rolled his eyes. He knew it was a lie. The brunette was too easy that way. All he had to do was bat his eyes and Bucky was a goner. Everyone knew it. Even Angel.

The four year old had taken the move better than either of her parents had thought she would. She'd only had one minor crisis and that was because her pink unicorn she slept with every night had gotten misplaced while unpacking the contents of her bedroom. A two hour search found the stuffie in the bottom drawer of her dresser shoved behind a million pairs of socks and tights. Steve was slightly suspicious that the tiny red-headed child had hidden her unicorn there on purpose to keep from going to bed at her normal time. Bucky wondered about it as well, but didn't want to admit it.

After that there hadn't been any problems. Steve and Bucky both figured it was because Angel was already familiar with her Buppy's apartment and had been there with her daddy to spend the night more than a few times. And because she had Barky Barnes to keep her company. The puppy was just as crazy about Angel as she was the puppy. She and Steve took him for his morning walks and she and Bucky took him for his evening walks. Clint took him during the day when he wasn't busy while Angel was at daycare and her parents were at work. Some days Bucky took Barky to work with him and was seriously considering using the puppy as a companion animal for a few of the veterans that came into the meetings that still had too much anxiety or fear or anger to talk.

The puppy seemed to know when someone needed him to be calm and cozy and spent a lot of time curled up on someones lap when he went to work with his namesake. Technically Barky wasn't supposed to be there, but no one really wanted to tell Bucky that he couldn't keep him there. Sam had tried but Bucky had threatened to tell the girl Sam was crushing on that Sam had crabs. So Barky got to stay.

Everything had worked out the way they had wanted it to and now Bucky was coloring with Angel in her bedroom while Barky chewed on an elk horn and Steve did art of his own for his art classes. His teacher was doing some kind of art show, Bucky couldn't remember what kind and wasn't even sure if Steve had said, and wanted him to have a couple pieces in it. Bucky thought it was great. Steve was scared shitless but the brunette wanted his boyfriend to have something in the show that way everyone could see how brilliant he was. Bucky was extremely supportive of him. Except for right now when he was hiding out with Angel and Barky while Steve painted or sketched.

Though technically it wasn't hiding out so much as designing possible engagement rings because they were supposed to go meet Clint at the jewelry store in a little over an hour. That gave them twenty minutes for the park excuse they'd come up with and the rest was getting to the jewelry shop. All Bucky had to do first was find out what month Natasha had been born in. He needed to know her birthstone.

He walked into the kitchen to find Steve sat in the middle of the table with an easel in front of him holding a half painted canvas. The kitchen had the best lighting in the apartment. At least according to Steve. The light looked the same in every room to Bucky and Angel.

“Hey, babe?”

“Hmm?” Steve looked over from the canvas and smiled at his boyfriend.

“When was Nat’s birthday?”

“November. Why?”

“Just wondering.” Bucky gave him a small, but cheesy smile then swung himself out of the doorway and went to Angel’s room where their baby girl was waiting with a grin. He gave her a thumbs up and she ran to him giggling excitedly. He took the paper and crayons from her and quickly colored the blank stone yellow. He’d probably have to tell Clint it was supposed to be a citrine.

“Buppy! Take me to the park. I wanna feed the duckies!” Yeah, her giggles were so not suspicious in any way. She was like her daddy and didn't do sneaky in any way, shape, or form. It was kind of adorable on her, but good God the fights her daddy pushed his way into. Bucky had already saved him from an ass kicking a few times. Most memorable was one night at Steve's work when some asshole had tried to rob him and Steve had grabbed the guy and Bucky had gotten there just in time to see his tiny boyfriend dragged across the register and slammed into the floor. The robbing douchebag hadn't gotten very far after that and wound up with a broken nose and two black eyes. Steve only would up with a couple bumps and bruises thankfully.

“What about Daddy?”

“Daddy’s drawin’.”

“We should ask anyway.” Bucky knew that Steve would want to go but he really, really needed to stay home and be artistic today.

“Okay.” She grinned at him again then ran to her daddy. “Daddy!”

“What, baby?”

“My Buppy is takin’ me to feed the duckies. You wanna go?”

“Sure.”

“Steven, it’s your day off remember? You’re supposed to stay home and draw and paint and whatever. You know your art teacher wants you to have a couple pieces for that art thing.”

“I can’t have anything for a show done by next week.”

“Can so. Especially if you stay home and work on them today. This is your chance to have someone else see your art, baby. Someone might even buy it and then how cool would that be?”

“Totally awesome.” Angel grinned up at her daddy and he laughed.

“Okay. All right. You two go have fun without me. And don’t forget to be home in time for dinner. Grandma’s coming over tonight.”

Bucky really hoped Clint could get the ring done today. He might have already told Sarah he had a ring and was going to ask Steve tonight at dinner. Maybe moving in and getting engaged in such a short time wasn't the best plan Buck had ever had, but he didn't want to wait any longer. Besides, they could always plan their wedding for a couple years out if they wanted to.

“Yay!” Angel jumped up and down excitedly then reached up and grabbed Bucky’s hand and dragged him out of the living room.

***

Bucky and Angel walked into the jewelry store and Clint waved then walked over and locked the door behind them. “Hey.”

“Hey, man. Thanks for doing this for me.”

Clint huffed as if offended that Bucky had even thought he wouldn’t, then waved his hand toward the otherwise empty store. “Do you have any idea what you want?”

“Well, an engagement ring.”

“Duh.”

“Clint, I'm trying okay. It needs to be perfect, but . . . totally not traditional. Kind of . . .” Bucky trailed off then let go of Angel’s hand to let her go look around since he didn’t have to worry about anyone trying to take off with her. “I want it to kind of be like a mother’s ring. I drew a really shitty picture of what I want it to look like. I figured you’d do better.”

Clint nodded as Bucky pulled the rumpled paper from his pocket and handed it to him. Clint unfolded it to see what was supposed to be a narrow band with four differently colored stones on it. It would do well enough for a man’s engagement ring, not too feminine. No flourish which Bucky knew Steve didn’t like.

“Is this crayon?”

“Possibly.” Clint gave him a knowing look and Bucky groaned. “I was helping Angel color, okay. Don’t judge me.”

“Nah, man. It’s cute. In that gag inducing, sickeningly sweet way.”

“Thanks.” Bucky gave him a droll look then punched his shoulder.

“Welcome. So what’s with the four stones? I get one for you, one for that adorable child over there, and one for Steve, but who’s the fourth?”

“Angel’s mother. She was Steve’s best friend since they were kids so I thought she needed to be there.”

“That’s awesome, Bucky. What about baguettes instead of rounds like these?”

“Won’t that be too girly?”

“And a platinum band instead of gold?”

“I guess. I dunno. Just . . . do whatever.”

“I’ll draw a quick mock up so you can see them. Pick which one you like best.”

Clint went to draw the pictures and Bucky went to look at the jewelry with Angel. She squealed excitedly, jumping up and down and he smiled when he saw what she was pointing at. There was a little necklace that had caught her eye. The delicate chain was gold and there was a tiny pendant that had two pink sapphires, one round and one pear shaped that were wrapped in gold wire to make the shape of an angel with tiny wings and a halo.

“It’s so pretty, Buppy!”

“Yeah it is, baby.”

“It’s an angel like Mommy!”

“Sure is, sweet pea.”

“Can I have it?”

As if he could ever tell her no. “We’ll see, baby. We need to buy Daddy’s ring first. Okay?”

“Okay.” Her eyes were wide, tiny hands clutched together instead of pressing on the glass and she sighed wistfully. “It’s so pretty.” Bucky chuckled quietly then started back to Clint only to stop at a knock on the door of the jewelry shop. Sam stood there with a smile and waved. Bucky waved back then walked over and unlocked the door to let him in.

“What’s up? Why’re you on lockdown?”

“Clint’s gonna make Steve’s engagement ring.”

“You’re finally going to ask him?”

“Yup.”

“Wow. Congrats, man.”

“Thanks, Sam.”

Angel turned after hearing Sam’s name and squealed excitedly. “Sam I Am!”

“Angel baby!” She ran over and jumped into his arms when he knelt down and Bucky smiled at his soon to be daughter, at least on paper anyway. She was his daughter in all ways but that. He walked to Clint to see that he was putting the finishing touches on the sketches of the rings. One was a better sketch of the one Bucky had done, the other was of a platinum band with four tiny baguettes.

“Those are both gorgeous, Clint.”

“Thank you. Now pick one.”

“Ugh.” Bucky grinned then looked back and forth between the sketches.

“I’ve already got the stones here, I can do the settings today if no one comes in.”

“Do you think you can have them done in like three hours?”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“Not awesome, Barnes. I mean, I probably can, but what's the rush? You trying to hurry up with him for once?”

“Fudge you, Barton.” Clint laughed shaking his head.

“You can't can't even cuss properly anymore.”

Bucky grinned then signed as many cuss words as he knew while Clint blinked then burst out laughing. “So what’s it gonna be?”

“The platinum with the baguettes?”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah. I think so.” Bucky looked back and forth between the drawings and his eyes kept straying back to the platinum. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

“All right. Give me a couple hours. You guys go eat or something.”

“I’m taking Angelina to the park to feed the ducks.”

Clint smiled and shook his head. “You're such a sap!”

“They're worth it.”

“I know, Bucky. Go on. I’ll text you when I’m done.” Bucky nodded and turned toward his daughter and Sam then turned back to Clint. He had to get his baby girl that necklace.

“One more thing.”

***

After spending an hour at the park feeding the ducks with Sam they went to the diner to sit and wait on Clint to finish the ring. They each ordered milkshakes and slices of pie and Sam and Bucky watched Angel coloring her place mat. Both of them with stupid smiles on their faces as they watched the tiny redhead.

“You stepping out on your man?” Elise, an elderly woman who waited the tables part time was glaring at Bucky like he'd tried to kill her dog.

“No, ma'am. This is Sam. He's one of my best friends. Steve's painting today so Angel and I left so he'd have some space.”

“You're sure?”

“My Buppy is gonna marry my Daddy!” Angel was bouncing in her chair excitedly and Elise smiled at the young girl.

“Is that so?”

“Yup. He's gonna ask him after dinner! Then my Buppy will be my daddy too. And he's gonna 'dopt me.”

Bucky smiled in surprise at his baby girl. He didn't know she'd heard him and Steve talking about his adopting her after they were married. They were trying to figure out how hard it was going to be and how much paperwork they were going to have to fill out.

“That's wonderful, sweetheart.” She smiled at Angel then gave Bucky one last suspicious glare and left to go take care of another table.

“That was frightening,” Sam murmured. “Thought she was gonna rip off your other arm.”

Bucky snorted and shook his head. “Everyone here is protective of Steve and Angel. Can't fathom why. They're both pains in the butt.” Angel nodded with a giggle at that then started coloring again.

They sat and chatted and Angel almost got another piece of pie while they waited for Clint to text. Bucky said no and Sam tried to get her the pie anyway, but she listened to her stepfather. Pouted about it, but still listened to him. When Clint finally text them with an _It's done you sappy bastard_ They left the diner and went back to his jewelry shop.

He handed Bucky the box and waited nervously while it was opened. He hated this part. It was different making a custom piece for someone than it was making what he wanted when he wanted. And this was special because it was meant to be Steve's engagement ring. It meant more to him because that little piece of jewelry that he'd worked so hard to finish and he knew without a doubt that it would be part of Steve and Bucky's lives until they died. And now he was getting sappy.

“You're contaminating me, Barnes. Get out.”

Bucky looked up from the ring with tears in his eyes and saw that Clint's eyes were leaking too. “Ha, sappy bastard.”

“Buppy! That's a bad word.” Angel frowned up at him and he sighed.

“Sorry, sweet pea. I'll put a dollar in the jar when we get home.”

“Okay.” She smiled and just like that he was forgiven.

Clint handed him a second small box and Bucky grinned and slipped it into his pocket. He and Angel left Sam with Clint and made promises to let them know how it went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thank you for the comments and kudos and such. 
> 
> Also, for those of you who haven't seen Civil War yet, (basically just the US at this point I think) cry for me because I'm not going to get to see it any time soon. And if you'd like to tell me how awesome it is feel free to do so, but no spoilers. lol


	17. Not a new chapter, but an update.

I just wanted to let everyone know that the hard drive on my laptop has failed and until I'm able to get a new one and a new copy of Windows I will be unable to update this with the final chapters. I'm sorry it's taken so long for this to get finished and I hope to get back to it soon. So until I'm able to fix my laptop this will be on hiatus, but I will finish it. One way or another.


	18. It's An Update!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky asks Steve to marry him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got things straightened out with my kindle and a bluetooth keyboard and a writing app. It's not Microsoft Office 'cause I'm broke, but it works. Also the next chapter will most likely be the last, possibly followed by an epilogue just to wrap everything up. I'll let you know.
> 
> My formatting is all kinds of screwed up. I fixed it as much as I could. I hope it's not horrible.

Steve dropped his brush in the cup of water sitting on the paint splattered kitchen table with a sniffle and a sigh. He was finally done. With one painting at least. He hadn’t told Bucky the premise of the paintings yet. He wanted him to be surprised. And he kind of wanted to be silly and stupidly romantic and ask Buck to marry him after the art show. He and Buck had talked about it, but nothing else had come of it, so Steve was going to ask him since he hadn’t done it yet.

  
Steve smiled at that, for Bucky wanting them to buy a house together and all of that and with Angel begging him to ask Steve to marry him, he hadn’t done it yet. Steve still had to get Bucky a ring. He was going to talk to Clint about it soon.

  
He sighed again, rolling his eyes at his boyfriend even though he hadn’t really done anything, except not rush to get engaged after they’d talked about it, and looked over his painting one more time. He tried not to look at it critically because it would never be finished in his eyes if he did, but it was perfect. Natasha was perfect. She was his past that he’d chosen to reveal at the small gallery where his class’s paintings would be displayed. Present and Future would be displayed next to her.

  
The painting was done in grayscale. In it Natasha stared out at him, a gentle knowing smile gracing her lips. He’d painted her as she had been when pregnant with Angel. Red hair cut short and slightly curly. Bangs held back with a black barrette with a black rhinestone cat on it. She was standing in front of the duck pond at the park, a plastic tub of grapes in one hand. The other hand rested on her baby bump. She was six months pregnant then and was wearing a black sundress with a white outline of a cat’s head and face on it. Ears up by her shoulders, eyes over her breasts and nose and mouth stretched over her belly.

  
Several breeds of ducks swam behind her. Muscovy, Peking, wood ducks and Nat’s favorites, Cayuga. The black iridescent waterfowl had always been her favorites. She had called them beetle ducks when they had been children, her Russian accent so heavy he could hardly understand her at times. He missed her so fucking much.

  
He sighed again and blinked back tears as he slid off of the kitchen table. He stumbled with a wince, pushing the heels of his hands into the small of his back. He’d been sitting on the table for far too long, but he had found his groove and hadn’t wanted to stop. Especially since it was quiet for once. The blonde paused in rubbing his back and checked his phone to see what time it was. Bucky and Angel had been gone long enough for him to finish the panting. Three hours he saw when he tapped the screen of his cell.

  
What happened to feeding the ducks? It didn’t take three hours to feed them. So where were his daughter and boyfriend? It wouldn’t be the first time that they had lost track of time, but it was definitely the longest. So what were they doing?

He didn’t want to seem clingy by calling to check on them, but fuck it. He’d be kind of clingy. He was just checking on his baby girl right?

He had just tapped the tile for his missing boyfriend’s number when he heard them. A small herd of elephants would have made less noise. Angel was laughing and talking loudly about Sam and Steve smiled fondly when Bucky laughed and opened the door o the apartment. Steve walked into the living room and saw that Angel was wrapped around her Buppy’s leg, sitting on his foot as he hobbled into the apartment.

It reminded Steve of the first time Angel had met Bucky and Steve shook his head with a grin when Buck met his gaze. He knew his boyfriend was thinking the same thing. The blonde knew what his second piece would be now. That moment and this, coming full circle. Now he just needed a third. He’d figure it out. He had time.

“Where have you been?” He didn’t mean for those to be the first words out of his mouth, but it was too late to take them back. Bucky only laughed.

“We ran into Sam. Lost track of time. Sorry, baby.” He gave his almost fiancé a gentle kiss after closing the door and walking across the room. Angel still wrapped around his leg.

“It’s okay. I just realized how long you two had been gone. I got worried.”

“You just got finished panting, didn’t you?” The brunette asked with a knowing grin. Steve only blushed. Did Bucky have him pegged or what? “Figures. Is it done or are you just taking a break?”

“It’s done.”

Bucky headed toward he kitchen, but was stopped by a paint splattered hand on his chest. “I don’t want you to see it yet. Wait for the show. Please?”

Steve looked vulnerable and Bucky nodded. What had his Stevie painted that had him looking that way? “Sure, baby. Can you move it though? Sarah should be here soon. I guess we’re ordering in.”

“Shit, yeah. I forgot Ma was coming over tonight.”

“Swear jar, Daddy.”

“Okay, baby.” He reached down and tweaked her nose then reached into his boyfriend’s back pocket and stole his wallet. Bucky half frowned at him then laughed when Steve stole a dollar then stuck the wallet back into his pocket. The blonde dropped the dollar into the jar then turned back to his daughter. “No junk food for dinner.”

“Daddy!” She groaned, long and drawn out and Steve bit back a smile.

“Nope.”

“But my Buppy lets me eat junk food.”

“That’s why I have to make sure you don’t.”

Angel pouted up at him, finally letting go of Bucky’s leg. “Just this once.”

“Ha! Have your Buppy help you clean up before Grandma gets here while I clean the kitchen so we’ll have room.”

“Okay!” The four year old ran to her room, yelling for Bucky to follow her, but he only pulled Steve into his arms and kissed him. It was slow and sweet and when Buck finally pulled back Steve was breathless and flushed.

He loved Bucky just as much when he was being slow and sweet as he did when he was being fast and hard and sloppy. Bucky kissed him again, pulling their hips flush and Steve groaned then pushed him back and shook his head.

“Angel’s awake and Ma will be here soon and . . . so inappropriate right now, Buck.” He fisted his hands in his own shirt, pulling it down over his erection and Bucky smirked. That damn smirk made him wish Angel was sleeping and his Ma wasn’t on her way over. He was torn between wishing for something as soft and sweet as Bucky’s kisses and hard and fast against the wall.

“Go help Angel,” he growled then walked into the kitchen to clean up his paints and hide the painting. Hopefully he could get all of the speckles off even though Bucky had told him not to worry about it. He’d picked up the table second hand from a moving sale. Still, Steve didn’t want to ruin it completely.

After carefully hiding the still wet painting of Natasha in the hallway closet none of them used he let Bucky and Angel into the kitchen so they could decide what to order for dinner from the menus that Bucky kept in the junk drawer next to the fridge.

Steve figured they would order Chinese again because Angel loved wantons and egg drop soup so much, but was surprised when they ordered from the expensive Italian place they all liked instead.  
“Special occasion?”

Buck shook his head. “We’ve had Chinese the last couple times your ma was over. We ordered it that one time then the last time you and Angel tested those recipes.”

“Oh, yeah. Okay. I’m gonna go clean up.” He still had paint all over his clothes and skin. Bucky thought he looked adorable all paint splattered, but he at least wanted to be clean for dinner. Especially since his mother was coming. She’d probably box his ears if he showed up at the table covered in paints. Especially now that he was supposed to be setting a good example for Angel.

Angel waited until her father was gone before turning and smiling at her Buppy. “We have to wait for gwamma?”

“Yep.”

“’kay.” She giggled then ran off. Seconds later he heard the TV come on and Angel singing along with an recorded episode of Sesame Street. He and Steve both still preferred the episodes from their youth to the new episodes. His favorite from when he was little had always been the episode with the Spin Doctors singing Two Princes with Elmo, Zoe, and Telly. Maybe he’d find it on YouTube to show Angel. It wouldn’t hold the same meaning to her, but it was still cool that he’d get to share part of his childhood with the little girl that had so quickly become the daughter he never thought he’d get to have.

“My Buppy?”

“What, Sweetpea?” He walked into the living room and saw her bouncing excitedly.

“Gwamma is so slow!” She giggled as the door opened and he grinned at his future mother-in-law when she walked in, still hidden around the corner from Angel.

“Well, she’s been working today. And she’s old. People slow down as they get older.” Sarah glared at him and he chuckled. He was pretty sure she knew he was joking, but she was Irish and he’d seen that temper of hers before when Steve had done something idiotic and gotten beat up when Bucky hadn’t been there to protect him.

“Sarah! Hi, it’s so good to see you.” He swept her into a tight hug and laughed when she socked him on the shoulder.

“Ass.”

Angel gasped and jabbed one finger at the swear jar and another at her grandmother. “Swear jar, gwamma.”

“Grandma gets a freebie on that one because I said she was old and slow. And tiny and vicious,” he added when she socked him on the arm again. “Bossy pants.”

“Okay, Buppy.” She was giggling and finally ran to her grandmother and jumped into her arms.

“You gonna be here for my Buppy to ask Daddy?”

“Yes, baby.” She smiled at her granddaughter then carried her to the couch and sat down.  
Sarah already knew that Bucky had planned on asking her son to marry him. It just happened to coincide with their family dinner. He had also told her about the pink sapphire angel necklace he’d gotten for Angel. Apparently she’d begged for it and he was unable to tell her no.

Sarah asked him why Becca wouldn’t be there. Or Clint, Sam, Tony, or Pepper for that matter. She’d have thought he’d want his friends and family there too, but he was afraid if everyone was around Steve would be suspicious or them being there would put too much pressure on him and he’d panic and tell him no. He wanted Steve to be surprised. It was hard enough swearing them all to secrecy anyway. Especially Tony and Clint.

She had pointed out that Steve was probably suspicious anyway. Her son could be a little bit paranoid at times. Mostly because he was worried that someone was going to start shit or make fun of him. Even after Bucky, even after everything, her son was still sometimes afraid he wasn’t good enough. Other times he knew he was. Bucky had and would continue to help him. Sarah had never been more proud. She was so proud of both her boys.

“Where is Steve anyway?”

“Shower. He just finished a painting for an art show his class is doing.”

“Of what?”

Bucky shrugged. “He wouldn’t say. Just begged me to wait for the show.”

“Alright. I guess we’ll wait and see. Did you order dinner or is Angel cooking again?”

“We ordered in. From that Italian place Steve loves so much.”

“You don’t think he’ll be suspicious?”

“About what?” Bucky winced then turned to his almost fiancé. Steve was standing at the end of the hallway wearing one of Bucky’s old Army t-shirts and a pair of baggy jeans. He was adorably swamped in the clothes and the brunette smiled at him. “Me peeking at your panting. You know how nosey and impatient I can be.”  
Steve rolled his eyes. “You better not, jerk. It’s important.”

“I know baby, I’m just playing.”

Steve glared at him, pointing two fingers at his own eyes then pointing them at Bucky, making him laugh. “I won’t baby. I know how important this is to you. Even if you’re being all secretive about the subject." He pouted for good measure and Steve only shook his head then gave him a quick kiss before moving to his mother and giving her a quick hug, squishing Angel between them like always.

“Hi, Ma.”

“Hi, baby.

“I’m not a baby, Ma.”

Sarah grinned and ruffled his hair. “Okay. Mommy’s little man, all grown up with a baby of his own.”

“Ma! Could you not?” He was horrified even though Bucky had seen this kind of thing more than once.  
Angel giggled at her flustered father and he mock glared at her. She only grinned then slid out of her grandmother’s arms at a knock on the apartment door.

“Food!”

“Wait for your daddy, Angelina!”

“Which one,” Angel yelled from the front hall.  
Bucky and Steve both smiled at each other and Steve waved him toward the door.

“Go help your baby girl, Daddy.”

The brunette’s smile lit up the room. “I love you.” He gave his almost fiancé a quick kiss then rushed to the door where Angel was waiting impatiently.

***

Steve laughed as Angel excitedly told them about a new boy at daycare that had two daddies and a mommy. But his mommy wasn’t really his mommy. And one of his daddies was his real daddy and his other daddy was his daddy’s husband and his mommy gave birth to him but she was actually his other daddy’s sister. So he wasn’t his own cousin whatever a cousin was.

Bucky snorted trying not to laugh as loudly as he wanted to. It was a good system though. Maybe one day they could use it. If they ever decided to have another kid. They’d talked about a sibling for Angel in passing but there wasn’t a rush for it to happen if it ever did. Angel was content being an only child and they were content with their princess. They were happy as they were and they weren’t going to change that. Except for getting married.  
Steve had to ask Bucky since the brunette hadn’t done it yet. Of course Buck had said he wanted to ask Sarah first, but it had been long enough. Surely his mother wouldn’t have told Bucky no. She knew how much Steve loved his boyfriend. Knew how much Bucky loved him and Angel. So would she say no? And why? If they were happy. Surely she wouldn't say no. But if she had that might be why Bucky hadn't asked him yet. Though for all Steve knew Bucky had yet to talk to her about it.

Steve looked lost in thought and Bucky figured now was as good a time as any to ask the blonde to marry him. Dinner was all but eaten, all that remained was a small bit of the chocolate triffle that Bucky had plans for after Angel went to sleep. Unless Sarah took her home with her to spend the night. It had not been mentioned, but if Sarah thought about it she might take her if Steve would let her. He might not want to though, if they were just engaged. He would probably want to keep her home with them and snuggle on the couch for a bit before bed."  
Bucky looked to his hopefully soon to be mother-in-law and gave her a subtle nod then scooted his chair back and stood close to Steve.

"Baby?"

The blonde blinked up at him with a small smile. "Hmm?"

Bucky dropped to one knee, pulling the box with Steve's ring in it out of his pocket. His tiny boyfriend gasped and turned to face him fully. "When I saw you in the laundromat I thought you were so gorgeous and I knew I had to see you again. I'm glad I went back even if it took us a year to get our shit together and start talking to each other. I'm glad you took the chance on me and let me take you on a date because if you hadn't I wouldn't have you in my life. I wouldn't have Angel or Sarah." Steve was blinking back tears and Bucky smiled softly. "I've never been happier than I have been since you and Angel became part of my life. I think you've been happy too."

"You know I have been, baby."

"I think we can be even happier. I know it's early. I know it's close to just having moved in together, but I don't want to wait any longer. I don't think you do either." Steve shook his head and Bucky opened the purple velvet box that held the platinum engagement ring. "I love you, all of you, so much. I love our little family and I don't want to spend a day without you in my life. I don't want to spend another day without you as my husband." They were both crying openly now and Bucky was grateful that Becca, Sam, Clint, Tony, and Pepper weren't there to see it. They'd never hear the end of it if they were. "Will you marry me?"

Steve only stared down at the ring in his boyfriend's hand. The jerk had gotten him a ring and he didn't even know when he'd had time to do it. Had planned all of this and Steve had never noticed. And the ring, God the ring was so beautiful, had their birthstones on the band. Even Natasha's and that made Steve love Bucky even more. That he'd included Natasha as part of his family.

"She's part of you," Bucky murmured as if knowing what he was thinking. "A beautiful part of both of you and I may never have met her, but I love her all the same because she gave you Angel and helped you through so much when I didn't even know you'd existed. You and Angel wouldn't be you without her."

"Buck." Steve sobbed, wishing Natasha was here for this, but he kind of thought she might be.

"Yeah?" The blonde only shook his head and Bucky wondered for a second if he had fucked up.

"Your ma already said you could marry me."

"You're a jerk but you're my jerk and I love you."

"Is that a yes?"

Steve laughed wetly and nodded. "Yes."

Bucky fumbled with the jewelry box as he tried to pull the ring from it to slid onto Steve's finger but finally managed. He'd never been more in awe as the narrow platinum band slid onto Steve's finger. It was perfect.

"I love you, Steve."

"I love you, too."

Steve kissed him then, his face wet with tears, their kiss little more than lips barely touching and laughing into each others mouths. They hugged tightly, only pulling away from each other when they heard Sarah sniffle. She was almost sobbing, hands clutched over her mouth as her shoulders shook with the effort of holding them in. She was smiling though. Her eyes crinkling and sparkling with happiness. Angel was grinning madly but also looking slightly concerned because everyone else was crying. Bucky immediately let go of his finace, he could finally call Steve that, and went to the four year old.

"I need to ask you something too, sweetpea."

"'kay."

Bucky smiled and pulled the other jewelry box from his pocket and opened it to let her see the angel necklace she'd fallen in love with. "Will you help me take care of your daddy?" She nodded quickly, eyes never leaving the gold and pink sapphire necklace. "Will you be my baby girl and let me call you my daughter?"

"I can call you Daddy Buppy now?"

"Yes, sweetpea."

"Okay." Her smile lit up the room when he removed the necklace from its box and fastened it around her neck.

"Now," he touched the tip of his finger to the small angel charm. "No matter what happens, me and Daddy and your ma will always be with you. We love you, Angel."

"Love you, Daddy Buppy." She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as tightly as she could. A pair of arms wrapped aroud them and Steve sniffled against Bucky's hair. Sarah quickly followed and somehow the four of them wound up in a pile in the floor laughing while she looked at her son's engagement ring and her granddaughter's necklace.

"It's about damn time."

"Swear jar, Gwamma."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking with this and leaving comments and such.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snippets of the boys' lives from after the engagement until the night before the wedding. Not necessarily in the proper order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will return to our regular writing and feature their wedding. It will be the next to last chapter, also. And the final chapter will be the epilogue.
> 
> I am also going to make this a series with little one shots of their life that didn't make it into this story. 
> 
> Also, I typed this all up in my phone, please excuse any crazy autocorrect that may appear. I tried my best to find them all.

“What kind of wedding do you want?”

It was a simple question. At least Bucky had thought so. Until he asked his tiny fiance. The blonde was fuming, arms crossed over his narrow chest, right foot tapping hard on the floor. He was glaring at said floor, bottom lip bitten red between his teeth. Grumbling under his breath.

Bucky wanted to laugh because Steve only looked adorable, but he knew his little firecracker wouldn't appreciate it in the least.

“Stop laughing at me.”

“I'm not.”

“You're thinking about it.”

“I'm not.” Steve only shot him a glare that promised lots of pain. Or at least no sex and sleeping on the couch for a week. Bucky threw his hands up. “Okay, I am thinking about it but it's only because you know how adorable I think you are when you're mad.”

“I'm not mad, Buck.” Bucky definitely begged to differ. “I'm fucking pissed. What the hell kind if a question was that?”

“I only asked what kind of wedding you wanted to have.”

“You're getting married too, Buck.”

“I know that.”

“I'm not taking control of this. We're going to decide together. And we're not getting married at the fucking courthouse!”

“It was just a suggestion, baby! I know how you hate being the center of attention.”

“You think I wouldn't deal with it for you?”

“I didn't say that. I just wanted you to know that we didn't have to have the whole in a church thing with everyone we know staring at us.”

“That's what a wedding’s supposed to be, Bucky!”

“Calm down, Steve.” Bucky put a hand on his fiance’s shoulder and it was immediately shrugged off.

“Don't tell me to calm down!”

“Sweetheart.”

“No.” Steve knew he was overreacting. No one needed to point it out, but what the hell, Bucky? Jesus. It was like he didn't want to even really get married. Okay, that was bullshit and the blonde knew it, but still. Why the fuck would they get married at the courthouse? Who really did that? 

Yeah, some people were probably content with getting married at a courthouse. Probably lots of people got married that way, but Steve had always secretly wanted a big wedding. Maybe because he never thought he'd ever actually get married. 

He had never thought he would ever be in a relationship again, or if he was in one, never long enough to want to get married. True he and Bucky hadn't been together much longer than a year, but it was long enough for he and Bucky to know they wanted to be together for the rest of their lives. And by God if Steve was only getting married once he wanted to have a proper wedding with everyone they knew in attendance. 

Sarah would give Steve away, Angel would be his flower girl, Tony would be Steve's maid of honor? best man? Pepper would be his bride's maid?, Clint would do his part by making the rings, Bucky's nephew would carry them, Sam would be Bucky's best man. Becca would … Becca would be … Steve didn't know what Becca would be, but she’d be something. Maybe she'd be Bucky's best man and Sam would be his groomsman. That would be better. That was perfect actually.

“Stevie?”

“Yeah?”

“You okay, now? You're quiet.”

“I'm fine. I'm sorry I yelled at you and called you a moron.”

“Um, you didn't call me a moron.”

“Did I not? I meant to.”

“Nope,” Bucky smiled and wrapped his arms around his fiance. “I love you, Steve.”

“I love you, Buck. And we're getting married at a church. Mom knows a guy that'll do it.”

“Okay, baby.” The brunette kissed the blonde’s temple then turned him loose and looked back to the list of questions about their wedding. Colors? Flowers? How many guests? The guests in general? Candles? Reception? What music Steve wanted to walk down the aisle to? A DJ for the reception? Food? Drinks? Did they want a honeymoon? The dozen other questions on his list. He scratched through the the first and wrote REAL WEDDING beside it.

One down, a gazillion more to go. He looked to the blonde and wondered which question his bridezilla? groomzilla? would argue with him over next.

***

“Bridezilla? You seriously called Steve a bridezilla?” Becca was torn between laughing and crying. “Jesus, Buck. You're a dumbass.”

“It just slipped out!”

“You still can't call him that!”

“I know!” Bucky whimpered and slammed his head against the wall. “It just happened.”

“Where is he now?”

“Packing his and Angel’s overnight bag to go to his Ma’s house.”

“James Buchanan Barnes! What the fuck are you doing talking to me when your fiance is still there?”

“He's going to his mother's to spend the night.”

“Get off the fucking phone and go talk to him!” She hung up on him and he sighed then walked into Angel’s room where his fiance was shoving their daughter's clothes into a bag.

“Stevie?” The blonde tensed but kept folding some of Angel’s clothes and didn't answer. “Baby, will you please talk to me?”

“Don't you mean bridezilla?”

“No. And I shouldn't have called you that. I'm sorry.”

“Oh, I know that, James Barnes.”

“That's not fair. I've never been sorry to you. Not ever.”

The blonde sighed and sat on their daughter's bed. “I know, Buck. I'm sorry.”

“Me too, baby.”

“I know I'm being crazy. I just want everything to be perfect. I don't want to regret anything about our wedding.”

“I know, baby.” Bucky moved to the small bed and dropped to his knees in front of the younger man, taking his long fingered hands in his own. “I love you and you're not a bridezilla.”

“Love you, too.”

Bucky leaned forward and brushed his lips over Steve's. “I'm sorry.”

“It's okay.”

“Will this be a story we tell our grandbabies? When we're old and grey and sitting on the front porch of our house in rocking chairs with glasses of lemonade and our cats while we tell those troublesome kids to get off our lawn?”

Steve snorted. “If anything we're getting dogs. Cats are evil. Natasha had one once. It was solid black with green eyes. It attacked everyone but her and only listened to her when she spoke Russian. It was scary.”

“I'll bet. What happened to it?”

“Natasha’s parents made her take it to the shelter after it bit her dad. They never liked it.”

“Assholes.”

“Yep. And yeah, this will be a story we tell our grandbabies. When we're old and grey and surrounded by dogs and the neighbor kids getting on our lawns.”

“And our asses and balls get super baggy and wrinkly. We'll have to make sure we don't sit on them.”

Steve finally laughed and wrapped his arms around his fiance. “Yeah.”

“Are we okay now?”

“Yeah. We're okay now.”

“Still going to your ma’s?”

“Yep. I already told her me and Angel were going over.”

“Are you going to tell on me?” 

Steve only gave him a cryptic smile and Bucky knew he was screwed.

***

Steve opened the door at an obnoxious knocking. He shouldn't have. He didn't feel well, knew he was getting a cold, but didn't stop himself in time. He'd already canceled on Tony a half dozen times. The genius had insisted on paying for his suit and Angel’s dress. Which meant that Tony had his favorite tailor making their suits and Pepper’s favorite designer making Angel’s dress.

This was going to be an hours long design and fitting thing and Steve only wanted to curl up in bed with his Bucky.

“Steve! You're home this time. Well, you were home last time too, but I won't say anything about you dodging me.”

“Tony, I already said you weren't paying for our suits.”

“Never heard it until now. It's too late. We're already here. Anyways, Barnes is taking care of his own suit.” He pushed past Steve and a tall, thin, man who was probably Tony’s age and a woman who looked vaguely familiar followed after. 

Steve shook his head starting to close the door but was stopped by several people who came in carrying bolts of fabric, plastic tubs of God knew what, and pushing a rack of suits already made and on hangers.

Maybe Tony would let him pick one of those. Although Steve completely doubted that there was an off the rack suit that would fit him. He peeked out into the hall to make sure no one else was coming then shut the door and locked it behind him. 

When he got back to the living room the assistants were moving furniture out of the way except for the black leather ottoman that Bucky tripped over continuously.

“Hop up here, shortstack.” Tony patted the ottoman.

“Don't call me that. And I'm not standing on that.”

“Take care of Angel first, Tony.” Bucky walked into the living room and surprisingly only sighed

“Where is she?”

“Guess.”

Tony grinned then walked to Angel’s room. Seconds later there was a squeal and laughter flowing down the hall. Steve grinned at his fiance.

“I already started on her dress from the last measurements that Mr. Stark had taken when he ordered her lab coat.”

“What?” Angel’s lab coat was designer?

“Mr. Stark didn't tell you?”

“No.” Steve and Bucky shared a look and the woman laughed then pulled a swath of pink fabric from one of the plastic bags hanging on the rack of suits.

It was only apparent that the fabric was a dress ten minutes later when their daughter was gasping and giggling excitedly over what she and Tony told them was dupioni silk.

It was pastel pink with gold cross threads and seemed to shimmer as Angel moved. There was a petticoat made from yards and yards of some opaque shimmery fabric that looked lightweight and bounced delicately, making the skirt poof out. There were miles of ribbons and bows and ruffles and hidden in a ribbon rose was a pink rhinestone angel brooch. The tiny redhead had never looked more beautiful.

Steve blinked back tears and saw that Bucky and Tony were having the same issue. 

“Allergies, “ Tony murmured with a sniffle as he wiped his eyes. He most certainly was not getting teary eyed over a tiny redhead that he mostly tolerated because she was cute. He definitely did not love the little girl. And he most definitely did not think she looked like the princess they all thought she was in her dress and tiny pink ballet flats that were dyed to match. He also definitely needed to go to his lab and blow something up. But, maybe later.

“Yeah, it's allergies,” Bucky said with a sniffle if his own.

***

“Tell me again why your fiance isn't here for this?” This being the cake tasting. Rebecca, Sam, and Clint were all seated at the table with Steve, tiny cakes on plates and glasses of champagne beside them.

“He couldn't take off work again and I couldn't reschedule this. It took a while to get in.” Two months to be exact and their wedding was in another couple of months. They weren't exactly rushing through it, but they wanted to get married as soon as possible. “You all know what he likes so you're helping me.”

“What about the design?”

“Not going to worry about it right this second. Get through the tasting first. I want a tiny spider hidden in it somewhere. For Natasha. She liked them she should be here for it too.”

“Yeah, that's good, Steve.”

“That'll be great,” Clint added.

The three other adults shared a look while Steve stared at the cakes on the table. He was taking too much on for this. Bucky was helping him, Steve would kill him if he wasn't, but Steve was going to wind up wearing himself out before the wedding.

“Okay, first is the white chocolate with pistachio buttercream and sea salt.”

“High blood pressure much,” Clint murmured.

“No shit.”

“Guys, focus!”

Sam and Clint winced and Becca laughed.

“Steve, it's okay to have fun with this. Drink your champagne and try to relax, honey. Bucky wouldn't want you to get upset.”

“I know,” he cried, dropping his forehead to the table.

“Mr. Rogers? Are you alright?”

He lifted his head with a smile he didn't feel. “I'm fine. Thank you.”

The baker nodded with a smile of her own. “Just let me know if there's anything you need.”

“Actually, can you just bring us the bottle,” Rebecca asked motioning toward her glass. The woman nodded and returned moments later with the bottle.

Steve sighed and picked up his champagne and took a non-delicate swig of it then picked up a fork. Readying himself for battle.

“Okay, let's do this.”

Sam, Rebecca, and Clint shared another look then picked up their own forks.

***

Bucky sneezed and Steve pouted. Flowers. They were looking at flowers. Bucky had started sneezing the minute they'd walked into the florists and hadn't stopped once in the ten minutes they'd been there. He wasn't sure which of the multitude of fragrant blooms he was allergic to, but they were going to kill him.

Steve, who had allergies upon allergies hadn't sneezed, or sniffled, or coughed, or rubbed his eyes a single time. Bucky looked pitiful.

“No hydrangeas,” he murmured then sneezed again. Steve nodded.

“Go wait outside, baby. I'll show them to you through the window.”

“No, I can do this. I'm fine.”

Steve gave him a look letting him know how full of shit the blonde thought he was. “Your eyes are swelling up. Go outside.”

Bucky nodded. “I'm sorry, baby.” He pecked his fiance on the cheek then went outside looking all the more pitiful for it.

“Okay, I can do this. We'll be fine. Totally fine. It's okay. We're good.” Steve took a steadying breath then walked further into the shop.

Dozens of arrangements later they'd finally picked out their flowers. Little white star shaped blooms they didn't know the names of, baby's breath just because it was always there, and single red long stem roses in the mix for a splash of color.

When Steve tried to pay for them the florist shook his head and informed Steve that “Mr. Stark had paid for everything already”.

The blonde pretended not to be having a heart attack and left the shop, shaking his head at Bucky when he asked what was wrong.

“Tony.” 

“Ah,” Bucky nodded with a final sneeze as they walked back to their car.

***

Steve regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. He really did. He tried to take them back but Tony only plugged his ears like a child and continued to chatter about a bachelorette party that Steve was most definitely not having and don't call it a fucking bachelorette party, Stark.

“Okay, anyway. It'll just be me and you and your mom and Pepper. Bucky can keep Sam and Robin Hood and Rebecca. We'll have it at the tower. Get some male strippers. Order pizza and drink some beer. Talk about how big Bucky's dick is and his sexual prowess.”

Steve blushed shaking his head. “Absolutely not.”

“Although me and Pepper know how big his dick is because of his costume at the Halloween party. Your boy looks good in leather.”

“Jesus, Tony! You can't just say things like that.”

“Oh, I can and I will. I promise I won't go crazy but you're having a bachelor party. It's my duty as Maid of Honor.”

“You're my Best Man.”

“I like Maid of Honor better.”

“Whatever.”

***

“No strippers. Absolutely no strippers. Steve isn't having strippers. I'm not having strippers.”

“Look, buddy, it's a rite of passage. You gotta have strippers for your bachelor party. Sam and I will take care of it. Besides, Rebecca is going to be there. She'll want male strippers.”

“Isn't she supposed to be planning it anyway? She's my Best Man.”

“She said me and Clint could do it, man. We got more free time than she does.”

“And what's going to happen to the kids? My kid and her kids. Where are they going to be?”

“Pepper got a babysitter for at the tower. One of the daycare workers is gonna watch the kids overnight. It'll be fine, Barnes.”

“No strippers!”

***

“You ever going to tell what you're wearing to our wedding?”

“Nope.”

“But you saw me getting fitted for my suit!” Steve pouted and Bucky nearly relented. Nearly.

“One of our suits needs to be a surprise, baby.”

“But.”

“Trust me, baby. You're going to love it.”

“Okay.”

***

Steve and Bucky walked into Sarah's house. Angel heard the door and ran screaming toward them. Cookie dough covered fingers stretched out to them like claws. She growled and Bucky shook his head at the amount of dough smeared on their baby girl's face.

“Grandma let you eat more than you cooked?”

“Yep!” She growled again then jumped into his arms giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. He gave her a kiss back then passed her to Steve and walked into the kitchen to see his soon to be mother-in-law pulling a tray of cookies from the oven.

“Hi, Sarah.”

“How many times have I told you to call me mom?”

“Me and Stevie ain't married yet.”

“That doesn't mean a damn thing, James Barnes.”

He only grinned then gave her a hug. “Stevie’s got something to ask you.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Steve and Angel came into the kitchen just then and Sarah smiled. She still got teary eyed when she saw how beautiful a family they all made.

“Ma?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Will you walk me down the aisle?”

She nodded with a quiet sob and wrapped her arms around her son tightly. “Of course I will.”

“And give me away?”

“Yes.” She reached over and jerked Bucky into the hug. “I will. You've done so well, darlings. I'm so happy for you.”

“Thank you, Ma.”

***

He was drunk. He was so fucking drunk. He was spinning. Or the room was. Or everyone else was and he was standing still. He had no fucking clue. He'd lost all his clues like four shots ago when he had witnessed his Sainted Mother getting a lap dance from the muscle bound stripper Tony had let in.

She had no business getting lap dances from twenty year old buff guys. He downed another shot from the line of five still sitting in front of him on the bar. He was beyond his limit, knew he was going to be hung over at his wedding tomorrow, but as long as he could still see his mother getting a lap dance and sticking ones in the dude’s g-string when he closed his eyes he wasn't going to stop.

The guy was built, but he wasn't Bucky. Too short, too muscle-y, too pale, his eyes weren't the right shade of blue grey, and his hair was too short. Bucky would have filled out the g-string way better. Bucky's muscles were better too. Fuck, his thighs alone made Steve drool and he'd spent way more time than was probably normal between them just because he liked the idea that if Bucky wanted to he could probably crush him with them. Not that he ever would. 

Bucky didn't let him top often enough to do that. ‘You might have an asthma attack, Stevie. Let me take care of you’ he'd say. And Steve would let him for the most part. Sometimes though he'd be stubborn until Bucky gave in with a laugh and let his Stevie top him.

He missed Bucky's thighs. He missed his whole Bucky dammit! Stupid antiquated can't see the bride the night before the wedding bullshit.

He heard laughing and turned to see Tony getting his own lap dance now while Pepper and his mother laughed and cat called. He shuddered then dug his phone out of his pocket and returned to his shots while Cherry Pie started playing in the background. Ugh. Of all the cliches in all the world.

***

Bucky was three sheets to the wind and steadily becoming worse. If he closed his eyes he fell over because the room started spinning and he'd have to put one foot on the ground to make it stop.

The tiny stripper Clint and Sam had hired was giving his baby sister a lap dance and seeing that was all kinds of wrong. She wasn't supposed to get lap dances from strippers. She was nowhere near old enough for that. Who gave a shit if she was only a few years younger than he was and had one more baby than he did? He took another shot and turned away from the disturbing image of the tiny stripper grinding against his sister.

The twinky guy wasn't his Stevie. He was too muscle-y, to tall, his eyes weren't the right shade of blue with tiny green specks it had taken Bucky weeks to realize were there, he didn't have glasses that made him adorable or a hearing aid, his thighs were too big to be Steve's and his shorty shorts weren't filled out enough. Stevie would have pulled them off better.

He missed his Stevie’s thighs. Missed sliding between them just because he could. Because he could show Steve how beautiful he was. He could show him how much he loved him when it felt like words didn't say it enough. He could feel those narrow thighs gripping his hips, wrapped around his waist tightly. 

He missed his whole Stevie, dammit. Blue eyes and blonde hair and pale skin with it's smattering of freckles. The slight indentations behind his ears from his glasses. His ribs peeking through his skin, perfectly spaced for Bucky to slot his fingers between them.

Becca squealed and he shuddered then pulled his phone out and took another shot as he called his fiance.

“Baby!” Steve giggled as he answered and Bucky almost didn't hear him over the sounds of Pour Some Sugar on Me and Cherry Pie warring with each other over the lines.

“Hey, Steve. You having fun?”

“No! My mother got a lap dance and stuck ones in this dude's g-string! My mom, Bucky! She's supposed to be too old for that!”

Bucky laughed and had to catch himself to keep from falling off his chair. “I'm sorry, baby. If it makes you feel better I just saw my baby sister get a lap dance from this stripper Sam and Clint hired. It's frightening. I changed her diapers!”

“That does make me feel a little better. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too.”

“You'd make a better stripper, Buck. Put you in a g-string. You'd fill it out better.”

“Only if you wear the little leather shorty shorts.” They both giggled.

“Okay.”

“Hey, no contact with your future spouse!” Tony ran over and took the phone from Steve.

“Give it!” Steve wrestled him for the phone and wound up falling over and knocking his chair to the ground. “Gimme Bucky back!” Tears filled his eyes and he groaned. He wasn't drunk enough to cry dammit.

“Hold on, Buckeroo. Steve just fell over. I think he's gonna cry.” Tony handed him the phone back and he cradled it gently as Tony pulled him from the floor. “Bedtime, shortstack.”

“M’kay.”

“I didn't know you were this drunk.”

“M’not.” Tony laughed half carrying the smaller man to his room for the night.

“Tell your future hubby goodnight. He's still on the phone.”

“Oh!” He put the phone to his ear and whined. “Bucky, Bucky I'm drunk.”

“Me too, baby.”

Tony laid Steve on the bed and pulled off his shoes. Steve murmured a quiet goodnight and I love you to his fiance and was asleep seconds later. 

Tony shook his head with a smile and left the room letting Bucky hear his fiance’s breathing mixed with the quieter sounds of Warrant from the next room and Def Leppard and Bucky's own quiet breathing from another floor of the tower.


	20. Just a quick note.

Just a quick note to let you know that I have not forgotten this. I finally managed to order a new laptop and it will be here sometime next week. 

I hope to have the update/final chapter up before Christmas. And hopefully a Christmas bonus as well.


	21. I'm working on an update I swear...

Honestly I am working on the final chapter of this. It's almost done, but I'm having severe writer's block and can't get there from here.

In the meantime please send me a prompt or two, in comments, of something you'd like to see in the Laundry universe. I will try to write them as a one-shot companion piece like I did the Halloween bit. Maybe with a couple prompts I can get started again.

Whether it's seeing more of Clint and Sam's bromance or Steve's reaction to his Ma going on a date...send a prompt and I'll do my best.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it took this long to post this. I'm so ashamed it took me so long to write this and get it posted. There will be an epilogue as soon as I can manage.
> 
> My new laptop died and I don't know how to fix it. So I'm posting this from my phone. Damn registry files!
> 
> Anyways, the formatting was wonky and I've spent two days trying to fix it. Let me know if anything is still messed up and I'll try to get it fixed.

Bucky woke to the scent of strong coffee and warmth in front of his face. He groaned and tried to roll away from it but stopped when the room began to spin. Or the bed was spinning. Or he was. Or the world was. Or something.

“Wake up dude. Gotta get rid of the hangover. You're getting married in four hours.”

It was too damned early and he was too damn hungover. He knew he shouldn’t have drank that much at his party, but seeing his baby sister get a lap dance from a poor replacement of his fiancée was too traumatizing for words. Now he was going to look horrible for his wedding. Though from the way Steve had sounded he might not look all that festive either. Whoever had decided to get cheap knockoffs of them for their bachelor parties needed to not. The rest of it was good though.

The brunette groaned, “It hurts.”

“I bet.” Clint laughed quietly when Bucky only whimpered and cracked his eyes open.

“It's today already?”

“Yup. Come on.” Sam helped him sit up then handed him the mug of coffee. “Drink up. Got you a Gatorade for after your coffee. Toast on the side table.”

“No food.” Just the thought of food, even dry toast, made him want to vomit.

“Yes, food,” Sam laughed. “Then a shower and shave and brush your teeth. Becca already went to the church to see what she could do to help there. The kids are still with the sitter so they'll ride with us.”

“Tony said he and Sarah are going to help Steve and Pepper is going to leave early to make sure everything is set up properly. You and Steve won't have to worry about anything,” Clint said sounding way too gleeful about them not having to worry.

They were going to worry. A lot. Especially Steve. “He's gonna worry the whole time. He's gonna be a bridezilla again. Sarah and Pepper need to keep him calm. Sam, trade yourself for Tony. He is the complete opposite of calm. Please?”

Sam saluted him and turned on his heels with a laugh. “Good luck with Stark. You're going to be a nervous wreck.”

He actually wasn't nervous. Not yet anyway. He was probably too hungover to be nervous. But for now he was calm and happy to be starting the rest of his life with Steve and Angel. It was the best thing to ever happen to him aside from getting a baby sister when he’d been little and then getting a niece and nephew after he and Becca had grown up.

He was still slightly weirded out by the fact that Becca had named his nephew after him. It was sweet but intimidating at the same time. He sometimes felt like he wasn’t the best man to look up to, but he tried his best and really that was all anyone could do.

“You're going to be fine, Buck. Everything is going to go off without a hitch. I'm gonna go take Barky to his appointment at the groomers. I got him a black suit jacket and bow tie.” Clint grinned excitedly then held a fist out to Bucky.

They bumped knuckles and Clint grinned once more then left the room. Barky was walking down the aisle with Angel. She was going to be so excited. Jamie was going to carry the rings and hand one of them to Sam and the other to Tony. He was going to be a wreck closer to time for Steve to walk down the aisle with Sarah.

Bucky sighed and even that hurt his head. He blew on his coffee to cool it then downed it and grabbed his phone to text his fiancé.

**B: Good morning, baby. Love you. See you soon.**

He sat his phone aside then picked up the Gatorade that would honestly help more than the coffee had. He left the toast and headed toward the massive bathroom to shower hoping it would wake him up more.

***

Sarah walked into her son's bedroom to find him hanging halfway off the bed with his head almost in a trash bin. He was still asleep, glasses hung halfway off his nose, getting too close to the bin for comfort and his hearing aid was in the floor. His phone was hanging one from one hand and he was still wearing his clothes from last night. She was pretty sure he smelled like liquor and sweat and probably vomit. He'd always been a lightweight where booze was concerned.

The first time he had ever gotten drunk was with Natasha when they had stolen a bottle of her father's vodka. They had been 16 and curious. Both had sworn off alcohol after but a few years later that had changed. She moved across the room carrying a cup of coffee with her, having made sure Stark hadn't spiked it with whiskey like he had tried at first.

She moved to his good side and combed her fingers through his hair. “Wake up, baby. It's time.” He only groaned and she smiled then shook his shoulder gently. “Wake up, Steve. It's your wedding day.”

“It's too early. God, did something die?”

Probably his dignity, but something was definitely fucking dead. Had to be.

“Smells like it.” She chuckled and he groaned again then pushed himself up and scooted back onto the bed. She handed him the cup of coffee then sat beside him.

“Drink up. You need to take a shower and clean up.”

“Ugh. Why did you make me drink so much?” He rested his head against her shoulder and closed his eyes, fighting back the vision of his mother getting a lap dance from a knockoff of his fiancé. It still frightened him.

“I didn't make you drink almost an entire bottle of whiskey. You're a big boy and made your own decision.”

“I saw my mother getting a lap dance from a cheap replacement of my fiancé. That'd be enough to drive anyone to drink.” He smiled softly then took a sip of coffee as she laughed.

“It's perfectly fine to get a lap dance if you want one.”

“I only wanted one from Bucky.”

“He'll probably give you one if you ask for it.”

“Yeah.” He was to hungover to blush like he normally would have.

“Finish your coffee and take your shower. You can put your suit on at the church. I'll make you something to eat.”

“No food. I might die if you make me try to eat. I think I'm going to anyway.” He pressed a hand to his rebelling stomach and closed his eyes. “I'm still spinning.” Something was definitely still spinning. Him, the bed, the floor, the whole damned tower.

“Put a foot on the floor, you'll be fine. I'll find some aspirin. And you’re going to fucking eat something, Steven. You have to eat before you take your pills. Can’t have anything happen today because you forgot to take them because you didn’t eat beforehand.”

“Okay, Ma.” He held a hand up in surrender. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Sarah pressed a kiss to his clammy forehead then left the room.

He groaned, taking another sip of his coffee and closed one eye hoping it would make him feel less like he was still spinning. He knew not to drink as much as he had. He really did. But seeing his mother getting a lap dance had been traumatizing. He opened his eye and finished choking down the rest of his coffee. His phone buzzed and he grabbed it, blinking blearily at the screen. It was his almost husband telling him good morning.

**S: Good morning. Love you too. Miss you.**

He sat his phone aside then climbed off of the bed and walked to the bathroom to take a shower. He hoped he didn’t pass out and drown himself before the wedding.

Sarah walked into the living room and saw that Tony had been replaced by Sam. He smiled at the look of relief on her face and she laughed. “Thank you, Sam. Tony was going to have him a nervous wreck before it was over.”

“That's what Bucky said. Stark didn’t want to go, but I made him. He made some vague threats about having me removed from the tower, but he saw things my way.”

Sarah laughed again, “What did you tell him?”

“If he ruined Steve and Bucky’s big day I’d tie him down and let Steve go Bridezilla on his ass.”

“Don’t call him that to his face. He and Angel spent the night at my place over it when Bucky called him that.”

“I know, I heard all about it from Becca. Bucky called her crying about it. Thought Steve was going to leave him for real.”

“He would never leave him. I’ve never seen him so happy, Sam. Not since Natasha passed away. I wish she was here for this.”

“I know.” Sam gave her a quick hug then went to check on Steve. Hopefully the blonde hadn’t drowned in the shower. Bucky would never get over it.

***

Bucky groaned, pacing back and forth in the long hallway that held the doors to the rest of his life. He could hear the gathered crowd murmuring behind those double doors. Probably wondering what was taking so long. He was supposed to already have been there, standing at the front of the aisle with Rebecca and Sam. Looking out over the small crowd of their friends and family, joking with them and Tony and the preacher who had agreed to marry him and Steve.

Instead he was sweating profusely in his dress uniform. The, as of now, retired Army Green fabric choking him. He hadn’t worn it in years. Never had reason to wear it anymore. He’d been discharged for years and the last time he’d worn it was when he had gotten the medals that were draped around his neck and pinned to the jacket. He took his beret off and smoothed his bun for the hundredth time.

He stuck the hat back on his head and tugged on his tie. He’d never been more nervous in his life. He wasn’t scared to be married to Steve, wasn’t nervous about finally marrying him, wasn’t nervous for them to be the center of attention. No, he was nervous as hell because Steve had begged Sarah to leave his dressing room and asked for Tony. That scared Bucky more than he would ever be willing to admit.

“Come on, you were a sniper. You can chill. You can be calm. It’s not a big deal. Stevie’s fine with Tony in there telling him God knows what.” He whimpered at that and fussed with his jacket.

Angel was standing with Barky and her grandma. All three of them watching Bucky pacing and tugging at his clothes. Barky seemed to decide it was a game and started bouncing around Angel’s feet while she giggled and looked between the pup and her Buppy.

“My Buppy?”

“What sweetpea?”

“You okay?” Bucky smiled down at her then swept her up into his arms and rested his forehead against hers.

“I’m fine sweetheart. Just nervous for Daddy. Uncle Tony’s talking to him unsupervised.”

She giggled. “Want me to be sneaky?” Bucky laughed.

“No, Angel. I’m sure they’re fine.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and he closed his eyes and held on. He was mostly sure everything was fine. But why the hell had Steve thrown his mother out and asked the manic mechanic in?

***

Tony watched the tiny blonde fuss with his hair in the mirror. He knew Steve was beyond nervous. Not nervous about marrying Barnes, never that, but about being the center of attention. He was terrified of walking down the aisle and tripping over his own feet. Tony had tried to tell him that as soon as he saw his fiancé standing at the alter he wouldn’t notice anything or anyone else. Everything would fall into place. Bucky and their little girl were the only people that mattered.

“You’re going to be okay, Steve. Barnes is so in love with you it’s gross. Your mother is going to cry the whole time because her baby is grown up and getting married. Angel’s just going to giggle the whole time. Clint and Sam and I are going to laugh at Bucky while he stumbles through his vows and cries all over himself. And,” he murmured pulling a picture of Steve and a tiny redhead out of his breast pocket “Natasha is going to be with you every step of the way.”

He handed Steve the picture of Steve and Natasha’s 16-year-old selves that he’d gotten from Sarah. Steve sobbed once then threw himself at Tony, wrapping lanky arms around him tightly.

“Thank you, Tony.” Tony flailed for a moment then patted Steve’s back awkwardly.

“You’re welcome. Never let it be said that I’m not totally an inconsiderate asshole. I have a reputation to protect.”

“Shut up.”

“Okay. Can you let go of me now or do you need another minute?”

“Need a minute.” Steve murmured against Tony’s shoulder. “Ma gave you the picture?”

“Yep. I asked if she had something for Natasha and your something old. She gave me the picture.” Steve nodded then pulled away from Tony, taking the Kleenex the mechanic handed him almost immediately.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Steve. Do you want your mother back?” Steve shook his head.

“Not yet. If she sees me crying she’ll start crying and I’ll cry more and . . . no.” Steve half laughed at that as he dabbed his eyes.

“I’m okay, Tony. Really.”

“Well, it’s said brides get weepy on their wedding day.”

“Asshole.” Steve shoved him with a wet laugh. “Go on. Tell my ma I’m fine and I’ll be out there in a little bit. Tell Bucky I love him and I’ll see him soon. Angel too?”

“Yep. Something along those lines anyway. I’m allergic to the ‘L’ word.”

“Oh, hell.”

Tony grinned then whistled the wedding march as he walked out of the dressing room.

Steve heard his voice rumbling in the hallway then fade away and a door shut quietly. He hoped Tony took Bucky with him. He didn’t want Bucky to see him in his suit yet. He’d thought a nice suit would make him look like a child playing dress up. Instead it made him look more mature, more refined.

The cut accentuated his shoulders and narrow waist and hips. The cut of the trousers made his legs look longer, were fitted enough that he thought his ass looked good for once. He was sure Bucky would love it.

He wondered what Bucky’s suit looked like and hoped it showed off his fiancée’s thighs. ‘Course Bucky could be wearing a pair of baggy jeans and a t-shirt and Steve would still walk down the aisle to marry him.

***

“What did you say to him?” Barnes was immediately in his face and Tony took a step backward and held his hands up in surrender.

“Nothing bad! I swear. Your mother-in-law would kill me if I said anything stupid right now. Steve’s doing plenty of that on his own.”

“What?”

“Nothing. He’s fine. He’s doing his hair.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and took her granddaughter from Bucky. “You should go get in place, honey. It’s almost time.”

Bucky sighed and gave Sarah and Angel quick hugs then grabbed Tony, who was still jabbering about God knew what, by the arm and dragged him with him. He deposited the man by Pepper who only sighed and gave Bucky an apologetic smile. Bucky smiled back nervously then took his place at the altar next to Rebecca and Sam. His sister immediately put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him in close, staring into worried eyes.

“It’s okay. Everything’s fine.”

“I know.” He took a deep breath, breathing with her, and let it out slowly.

“A couple more, come on, Buck.” He continued breathing with her until he felt like he was going to melt into the floor instead of fly off his feet and she smiled and pressed her forehead to his. He grinned then kissed her nose like he’d always done when they were kids and she’d put her forehead against his and she grimaced then licked his cheek making him groan and swipe at his face as he pulled back from her.

“I feel the love, Becca, I really do,” he mumbled sarcastically.

“Don’t hate. You know that’s how I show my love.”

“So gross. No wonder you don’t have a boyfriend.” She glared at him and he laughed, his laughs turning to shrieks and giggles when she launched herself at him and stuck her tongue out trying to lick him again while he batted her away. She pinned his flesh arm against his side and twisted under the other then licked up the side of his face, making sure it was extra slobbery. Bucky whimpered and whined while wiping it off when she was pulled away from him by a stern looking Sam.

“Children, this is a wedding. Not a playground.” Tony was busy laughing instead of helping and the preacher looked slightly worried but still amused.

“Kept him from worrying, didn’t it?” Becca grinned at Sam and he finally nodded with a sigh.

“True.” At that two knocks on the double doors signaled that Steve was finally ready. Bucky immediately stilled and his eyes were plastered to the hardwood doors.

***

Sarah knocked once on the door to her son’s dressing room then walked in with Angel and Barky. Steve was sat at the vanity, staring into the mirror as he tried to steady himself. She knew he wasn’t nervous about marrying Bucky. Never that. Her son loved him to pieces. No, Steve would be worried about being the center of attention. Even for a wedding party this small.

There were only about 20 people present. Most of them friends from the boys’ work. Steve’s manager Michelle, who always checked Bucky out to make Steve blush when he was picked up from work, two of the other cashiers, Amanda and Stephanie, and the elderly owners, Michael and Randall who had been together since the days before being gay and out and proud was more accepted. They had a special place in their hearts for Steve and Bucky and had volunteered to cover part of the wedding until Steve had told them that Tony Stark had paid for almost everything already.

The only thing Steve would let them do was give him a week off after the wedding so he and Bucky could have their pseudo honeymoon. They had opted not to take one and just spend the week with Angel at their home. Enjoying their family and finalizing Bucky’s adopting Angel.

Steve looked to his mother and she gave him a gentle smile and walked over, resting her hands on his shoulders and pressing her cheek to his.

“You okay, baby?”

“Yeah. I’m fine, Ma. Thank you for giving the picture to Tony.”

“You’re welcome, honey. Are you about ready?”

“Yes. No. Yeah, but…another few minutes? Please. I know I’m holding things up, I just need a few more minutes to pull myself together.”

“If you wait any longer, that boy is going to think you don’t want to marry him.”

“Ma!” She laughed then kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly. “I’m serious about you waiting though. If you wait any longer you’re going to talk yourself out of this. I know you want to marry him and I know you love him so much. Don’t let your head win, Steve. Once those doors open you won’t notice anything but that boy standing at the end of the aisle waiting for you. He is the only thing that matters. Not the music, not the candles, not the flowers, not even the people watching you get married. Nothing else matters but him.”

Steve gave her a gentle smile then turned and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head against her. “Thank you. For everything. Not just this.”

“You’re welcome, baby.” She held him tightly for a moment longer then gently pulled away and helped him stand. “Come on, now.”

He nodded straightening his suit one last time then slid the picture of himself and Natasha in the inner pocket of his suit jacket.

“Let’s go.”

They walked out of the room with Angel and Barky following closely and stopped in front of the doors. He nodded to his mother and she knocked twice on the hardwood signaling that he was finally ready. Angel squealed once the music started and Steve rolled his eyes with a groan.

Two seconds of the instrumental song and he already wanted to choke Tony. White Wedding was not the song he was walking down the aisle to. He stepped to the side so no one could see him, but he had a clear vantage point to watch Angel from and she and Barky walked down the aisle to that horrible song.

“Ready?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

He took his mother’s arm and stood in the doorway, smiling at the haphazard trail of rose petals Angel and Barky had left in their wake. He looked up in time to see Bucky sweep their daughter into his arms and give her a hug and kiss before sitting her back on her feet next to Barky and Jamie who was now holding the rings that Barky had carried tied to a small satin pillow and clipped onto his doggy tuxedo.

He handed them to Tony and Becca then he, Angel, and Barky went to sit by Pepper and Clint. The song changed though he barely noticed it and he and his mother began to walk down the aisle. When his eyes landed properly on his fiancée he gasped and stumbled over his feet, having to take a second’s pause before walking again.

Bucky was clean shaven for the first time in a long while, his hair pulled back into a perfectly smooth bun, he wore a beret and his dress uniform. Something that Steve had never seen him in before. The uniform fit him perfectly, accentuating his broad shoulders and narrow waist, long legs and of course his perfect thighs. His black boots were shined to perfection, the lights glinting off of them.

The best part of it, not the uniform though Bucky looked absolutely gorgeous in it, was Bucky’s eyes and his smile. His eyes were brighter than Steve had ever seen them before. Grey-blue and gorgeous, crinkled at the corners from his smile and Steve’s weakness, lined with kohl. He might have been almost crying from the way those gorgeous eyes shone, but he was smiling brighter than the lights of the church, brighter than the candles, brighter than the sun. And they were all for Steve.

When they finally reached the brunette, Sarah took Steve’s hand in her own, eyes shining with tears and placed his hand in Bucky’s, clasping both of them together. Tan and pale blending as they slid their fingers together. She kissed her son’s cheek, then Bucky’s.

“I love you. Both of you. Take care of them.”

“I will, mama.” Bucky smiled when she sobbed and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

“I’ve been waiting for that for so long.” He nodded and wrapped his free arm around her.

“I know.” She turned him loose and with one last kiss for both of them went to sit beside her granddaughter. Angel immediately hugged her with a giggle and Bucky looked back to his almost husband.

“Ready?” “As I’ll ever be,” Steve murmured with a half-smile. Bucky huffed and rolled his eyes then pulled Steve up the steps to stand in front of the preacher.

“You look gorgeous, Stevie.”

“So do you.” Steve stood on tiptoe and brushed his lips over Bucky’s and Tony cleared his throat and kicked his ankle.

“Save it for later.”

Steve kicked him back and grinned when Bucky chuckled.

“Come on, baby. Let’s do this.” Steve laughed and nodded.

“Okay.” The preacher began to speak, but Steve never heard a word he said. No, he was too busy staring at Bucky and wondering why they’d waited so long for this. Bucky smiled down at him, his eyes never leaving his. It didn’t seem like any time at all had passed since that day at the laundromat when they’d finally gotten the nerve to speak to each other for the first time. It didn’t feel like nearly two years had gone by. But here they were. Surrounded by friends and family. Fixing to say their vows and tie themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. As if they wouldn’t have been tied to each other anyway. Soon they would finalize Bucky’s adoption of Angel making their family even more perfect than it already was.

“Are you going first?” Steve blinked wondering how much time had passed that he’d been staring and Bucky grinned. “You going to say your vows first?” Steve nodded then shook his head.

“You first.” “You just wanna copy after me.”

“Duh.” Bucky laughed then took both of Steve’s hands in his.

“When I first saw you through the window of the laundromat I thought you were the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. I kept going back just to see you. I did my laundry there for a year just to be near you. I think the first time I saw you smile to yourself when you were folding Angel’s clothes was when I fell in love with you. When you didn’t know me, had never spoken a word to me other than a quiet hey if you’d caught me staring. The second time I fell in love with you was when I saw your sketches of Angel and Natasha. I saw how much you loved them entwined in those pencil strokes. The third time I fell in love with you was on our first date when you pegged me in the forehead with a tater tot. The fourth was when I realized how frightened you were of me being in Angel’s life. It made me realize how much you put the people you love ahead of yourself. You are the most selfless person I’ve ever known and I’m lucky, so damned lucky, to have found you. 

"The fifth time I fell in love with you was when you held onto your fear but were brave enough to let me in anyway. To let me meet Angel, your mother, to let me become a part of your life. There are so many times I’ve fallen in love with you, I can’t list them all or we’d be here all day. I fall a little bit more in love with you every day. I love our family more every day. I promise you that no matter what happens I will never love you any less than I love you today. That I will never love our daughter any less than I love her today and I will never love your mother any less than I love her today. Or Barky,” he added with a small smile trying to make his almost husband laugh. Steve had been crying almost from the first words out of his mouth. He was smiling and crying, and clutching Bucky’s hands so tightly he was afraid he would lose circulation, well in one of them anyway. Steve huffed out a wet laugh and Bucky smiled. “I love you, Stevie.”

“I love you too, Bucky.”

Jesus Bucky was so beautiful. Steve didn’t think he’d ever been more in love with the brunette than he was right this minute. He half thought that it was because of the high he felt knowing that they were minutes away from being married, from spending the rest of their lives together, but he knew it was because Bucky had bared his soul to him, not for the first time, but in front of everyone they knew. Because they always saw Bucky as hard and strong. Even those that knew him well, Sam, Clint, and Tony, who all called him a sap thought he was hard sometimes. Steve knew better. He was a sap, he was Steve’s sap and he was perfect, but he also let Steve see him in what Bucky thought were weak moments.

When his PTSD reared its ugly head, when he woke crying from nightmares, when he was shaking so hard he practically vibrated out of his skin. Those moments Steve loved Bucky so much his heart broke because Bucky let him see parts of himself that very very few ever had. How the hell was ever supposed to put it in words? Weeks and weeks he’d been trying to write his vows. It all sounded so stupid now.

“Your turn, baby.”

“I know. I just…” Steve shook his head staring up at his fiancé. “There are no words to describe how I feel about you, Bucky. I can’t tell you the first moment I fell in love with you, because it was always just there. I can’t tell you how much more I loved you when you were patient with me when I was frightened. I can’t tell how I loved you when you saw my sketches and I saw tears in your eyes when I told you about them. I can’t tell you how much more I loved you when I realized you loved Natasha, even though you’ve never met her, just from hearing about her. From knowing that she gave us Angel. I can’t tell you how much more I love you when I see you playing with our daughter. I can’t,” Steve was full on sobbing and sniffling and trying to speak plainly, but he didn’t know if he was even making sense much less speaking intelligibly.

“I can’t tell you, but I can show you, I will show you. In every way, every day for the rest of our lives. I love you so much, baby.”

“May we have the rings?” The preacher asked holding his hand out. Tony stepped forward and handed him the rings which he then handed to Bucky and Steve. They slid them on each other’s fingers with quiet ‘I love you’s’ and the preacher smiled.

“I now pronounce you man and wife.” Steve immediately whipped around to punch Tony and the maniac only giggled and held his chest where the hit had landed.

“You asshole!” Everyone laughed and Bucky spun Steve back around and shook his head with smile.

“Come on, baby.”

“You may now kiss your…”

“Bridezilla!” Tony yelled it, interrupting the preacher, and Bucky grabbed Steve by the lapels of his suit and pulled him into a quick, hard kiss to keep him from killing the moron.

He’d handle Tony later. Wait until he least expected it. Bucky was a trained sniper. He had all the patience in the world to exact his revenge. Everyone cheered and Bucky turned with his husband to face the crowed as the preacher announced them as Mr. and Mr. James Buchanan Barnes.

“I’m gonna kill him,” Steve bit out between his teeth and a wide smile.

“Shh, if anyone hears you it’s premeditated.”

“Crime of passion.”

“Only if no one hears you say it. Come on, baby. Let’s get our daughter.” He led Steve down the steps and into the arms of his mother who was weeping openly. Angel immediately tried to climb up them and Bucky swept her into his arms.

“Ready for a party and cake,” he asked her. She nodded with a happy giggle and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Happy wedding, Daddy.”

“Thank you, sweet pea.” Sarah swept them into a tight hug, sniffling, and Bucky hugged her back tightly.

“Come on, no more crying, Ma.” Steve pulled her back gently and gave her another hug.

“Ma, come on.”

She shook her head then pulled back with a sniffle. “I’m fine. I’m fine. Go ahead and get ready for the reception. I’ll be there in a little bit.”

“Ma,”

“Go on, baby. Clint, Sam, Tony, and Pepper are going to ride with me.”

“Well, there goes blowing up the car,” Steve muttered under his breath. Bucky snorted and elbowed him weakly.

“Stop it. Come on, Steve. Let's go get ready.”

“For the rest of our lives?”

“Yeah baby,” he murmured quietly unable to help how sappy he was being, “for the rest of our lives.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten years later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this seems rushed. I wrote it in like an hour on my phone. So I'm sure there's spelling mistakes somewhere.
> 
> Anyway, this is the end of the main part of the story. I may come back to Laundry and write more one shots like the other few I've done.
> 
> As a reminder this is a series so if you haven't read the one shots go do it. :D

“Daddy!”

Bucky groaned hearing Angel yelling for them and the door slamming shut. “It's your turn for drama.”

“This was supposed to be our night off.”

Angel was supposed to be spending the night at her friend Mandy’s house. Was supposed to have gone home with her after school.

“She's your daughter when there's drama,” Bucky murmured.

Steve snorted shaking his head and started to drop his paint brush in a small cup of the walnut oil he used to mix in his oil paints and clean his brushes with. Bucky still wasn't convinced Steve should be using oil he was slightly allergic to instead of linseed oil, but it definitely smelled better, which was Steve’s reasoning. Even if he was almost always covered in a pale rash everywhere the oil or paints touched him.

“I got it, baby. Finish your painting.” 

“No, I got it.”

Bucky gave him a quick kiss when he stood and then watched the blonde rush out of the studio when Angel yelled for them again.

“What happened now?” Steve walked into the kitchen where he heard the 14 year old slamming things around and saw her making a mug of tea. She was using her rubber ducky tea infuser and an old as hell Grumpy Cat coffee mug that Sam had given him years before.

“Fuckin’ Jamie told me that Mandy was only my friend cause she had a crush on My Buppy! And...grr. When I asked her she didn't deny it!”

Steve bit back a smile. She didn't really call Bucky her Buppy much anymore. “Angel,”

“Natalia.”

Steve fought the urge to roll his eyes at his daughter. She'd been trying out different names and this week had settled on Natalia. Last week it was Natasha. The week before that it had been Nat.

“Your name is Angelina Natalia Barnes and I'll call you whatever I want.”

“Sorry, Daddy. I'm just...gah! She didn't deny it, Daddy.”

“Maybe she shouldn't have to, baby. She's been your best friend since second grade and you know Jamie only tells you stuff like that because it gets on your nerves. He's a teenage boy and your cousin. That's his job.”

She rolled her eyes taking a sip of her tea. “I guess so.”

“Call her and apologize and talk things out. Don't let Jamie get between you.”

“But what if she does have a crush on Dad?”

“I highly doubt she's had a crush on him since she was eight. Even if he is really hot.”

“Daddy! Oh, my God!” Steve laughed at the horrified look on her face. “You can't say stuff like that!”

“You trying to say your Buppy is ugly?”

“No! I mean, from a uh...aesthetic standpoint...he'd um...be kinda cute if he wasn't my Dad and old.” She blushed then pulled her cell out of her pocket and called Mandy so he'd quit talking to her.

Steve snorted a laugh then walked out of the kitchen to see Bucky leaning heavily against the wall with tears in his eyes and giggling silently.

“What?”

Bucky shook his head, still giggling. “If I wasn't her dad and old I'd be kinda cute. We're old, Stevie.”

Steve shook his head with a smile. “You're the one pushing forty.”

“I'm 38!”

“Yeah. Means you're old.”

“I'll show you old.” He wrapped an arm around Steve's waist and slung him over his shoulder, laughing at the affronted gasp and slaps on the back as he carried the blonde into the studio. He kicked the door shut then let Steve down, sliding the blonde against his body as he did. His hands rested on Steve's hips as he slammed his tiny husband against the door, sliding a knee between his thighs and giving him biting kisses.

“Buck. Baby, Angel’s in the kitchen!”

“Then you should be quiet.” Bucky lifted him and Steve automatically wrapped his legs around his husband's hips as Bucky kissed him again.

***

Angel hung up with Mandy and rested her head on the kitchen table. At least they'd gotten things straightened out. Now she just had to wait until her dads got done doing whatever they were doing in the studio so she could ask one of them if they'd drive her to Mandy’s house.

She'd heard her daddy yelp and a slight scuffle that told her they were play fighting again, which had probably led to them having sex. They were just as bad as the boys at school. It was gross. Whose parents even had sex? Blech.

She finished off her tea and stared at her Buppy when he walked into the kitchen sans shirt and got a glass down from the cupboard.

“Daddy!”

“What? I'm old. I was carrying your daddy around.” He winked at her turning to the sink to get some water and she blushed seeing the streaks of paint on his shoulders and down his back to the butt of his jeans.

“You guys are so gross!”

“What?”

“Nothin’. Will one of you drive me to Mandy’s, please?”

“Yeah. Let me go tell Steve.” Bucky chugged his water then left the kitchen.

Angel smiled after him. The last ten years had been so good for them. Yeah, her parents fought and argued sometimes but they still loved each other immensely. She'd never seen anyone so happy. She'd also never seen anyone else with as many pairs of jeans with different colored handprints of paint on the butt as her Buppy either.

She never, ever, ever, admit to anyone but herself that her dad's were disgustingly adorable and she hoped that one day she'd find someone she loved and that loved her, the way that her parents loved each other.

She sometimes wondered if they'd always be this happy. She knew it wasn't guaranteed and they'd have bad days just like good days, but so far the good days had definitely outnumbered the bad. She hoped they always would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment since this is the end.   
> :(
> 
> Thank you for sticking with this even though updating was sporadic at best. It's taken me 2 years and 1 day to finish this. So, Happy Anniversary.
> 
> Thank you for all the lovely comments and even though I didn't reply to a lot of them I love them so much and they convinced me to keep writing on this when I just wanted to give up.
> 
> Anyways, the next thing I post will be finished or nearly finished when I start posting it. So aside from a couple one shots it may be a while before I post anything else. I have to fix my laptop first. 
> 
> <3


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